


Wish Upon a Star

by ComfyDreamer



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Depressing, F/F, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Introspection, Loneliness, Magic, Original Character(s), Outer Space, Science Fiction, wholesome yuri?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 166,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24040546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComfyDreamer/pseuds/ComfyDreamer
Summary: A cursed orphan, hated by fate and sentenced to a life of lonely solitude. A young princess, burdened by expectations and yearning for friendship. This is the tale of how two children who never should have met did so nonetheless, how they kindled a powerful bond that would be mercilessly tested through time, and how they overcame adversity to achieve their dreams.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. The Child Forsaken by the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The story of a child made malice's plaything._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The start of a new story that has been cooking in my plans™ for an obscenely long time now. It's kind of unfamiliar territory for me, particularly since I'd like it to be more emotion/character driven, but I do like the ideas enough that I'm willing to take that leap. The intention is to make something that has a balance of depressing moments, wholesome fluff, and neat action, which is ideally something that I would enjoy.
> 
> The base ideas for the story were spawned during a daydream when I was half-asleep in band, and were refined considerably over the course of the next what-felt-like-an-eternity. If anyone from band sees this, I'm sorry, but this is what us constantly repeating 30+ bar rests was made for.

"So...how is she?"

The attendant shook his head regretfully. "We don't know why this has only showed itself now, my king. It's been over a year since the incident in question."

King Gustav grit his teeth in anger. "Curse that wretched god. They not only slaughtered our forces merely for trespassing on their land, but they had the gall to lay a curse on my wife as well. And not even on her - they would punish our daughter for a minor infraction such as this?"

Another guard frowned. "To be fair, we had tried to subjugate those natives, while fully knowing that they were under divine protection."

Gustav simply shook his head. "And we did. We achieved victory, and managed to take control of that valuable land. But now, it seems to have left us in a troublesome predicament. Are you sure it can't be cured?"

The attendant shook his head. "Unfortunately, it seems that way. That god's magic draws from a completely different source from what we're used to dealing with. While we _might_ be able to cure it eventually…"

"Who knows what the curse would have done by then?" Gustav said, finishing the attendant's sentence for them. "Our daughter is the princess of Lucia. She's far too important to our empire's future for us to just leave this alone. Are there any alternatives?"

The guard nodded. "The queen was in discussion with some of our mages earlier. They've theorized that it should be possible to transfer the curse to another person. And as for who we'll transfer it to...the queen has raised the idea of using a commoner to take the curse."

Gustav nodded. "Will that work?"

"Almost certainly."

The king turned around and walked away "Then see to it that it is done."

"Yes, my lord."

_Later…_

Two knights clad in shining silver armor knelt before their rulers - King Gustav and Queen Aika of the Lucian empire. Esteemed soldiers in the Lucian armed forces who had become known for their chivalry and prowess, they had risen through the ranks through their efforts, going from trainees to commanders practically overnight. It was no wonder that they were soon bestowed the honor of being the newborn princess' retainers. One of them was a young man who sported short, platinum-blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. The other was a young woman with long brown hair tied in a ponytail, framing a pair of deep red eyes.

"Ivan. Elise." Aika began. "We have a very important task for you. Since you are Kagura's retainers, we made the choice to entrust you with this."

Ivan raised his head. "We are honored that you would think of us so highly. What is your mission?"

Gustav nodded and motioned for them to stand. From the ornate cradle beside them, he gently picked up the infant girl within. Despite being barely over a year old, the girl was already clothed in an elegant silver robe that most commoners could only dream of even looking at. Her long-ish, messy hair was a mystical silvery-white, and her curious eyes a warm gold.

Despite the fact that the retainers had always considered the baby princess adorable, something was off. Just by looking at her, they felt an odd aura around her, planting the smallest seeds of what felt like disapproval in their minds.

"Hey...something's not right here." Elise muttered. "Why do I feel...hostile?"

Aika shook her head. "That's the problem. Perhaps we should have informed you earlier, but Kagura has fallen under the effects of an abominable curse. The curse was implanted in me some time ago by a wrathful god, and for some reason took effect on our daughter instead. While we don't know all of the curse's effects, judging from the responses of several subjects, our mages have identified that it quite literally makes it harder to bear good will towards her. If it progresses, they predicted that it would likely make her hated by all - which is unacceptable for the heiress of our kingdom."

"Take our daughter," Gustav ordered, "and start searching lower-class villages. If I recall, one of the nearby ones is to the east, atop a small mountain...Stonewell, I believe it's called. We cannot cure the curse, but we can possibly transfer it to another. I want you two to transfer the curse onto one of the commoners - if someone must be sacrificed for our daughter's sake, it should be one of those whose lives have less meaning. The required equipment will be provided to you shortly."

The retainers looked at each other. This was a somewhat unpalatable plan, but it was worth it if they could save the princess this way. However, Ivan cleared his throat. "Forgive me, but may I request something?"

Aika nodded. "Within our discretion."

"Would it be possible for the one we transfer the curse to a criminal of some kind? If someone should suffer for Kagura's sake, even if they're a commoner, they shouldn't be an innocent soul."

"Or perhaps someone elderly." Elise added. "Those with little to no time left would likely perish before the curse could ruin their lives."

Aika just waved her hand. "Sure. To be blunt, I don't care who you give it to. All of the commoners are almost the same anyways."

Elise was about to say something, but held her tongue. "Thank you."

With that, the two knights bowed to the rulers as they were handed the required tools for the deed. Gustav set his daughter on the floor and knelt down to her eye level. "You're going to have to stay with your retainers for a bit, alright? Don't leave them."

The young princess nodded obediently, turning to Ivan as he scooped her up and carried her out the door. As the three of them left, Kagura tilted her head. "Going...where?"

Elise didn't look back. "We're going to save your life...at the cost of another."

Kagura just nodded innocently and closed her eyes, blissfully unaware of what was about to transpire.

Stonewell was an hour's ride on horseback. Kagura thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of riding a horse, but her retainers didn't entertain her this time around. They were too busy thinking about what they were about to do.

Upon their arrival, it had started to rain. As they dismounted, Elise handed an umbrella to Ivan, who used it to shield the young princess as he cradled her with his free arm. Their boots splashing in the rapidly-forming muddy puddles, they looked around and tried to choose who would bear the curse. At the same time, they couldn't help but think about how different the village was compared to the grand settlements they were used to. Most of the houses were small and crude, with only larger public ones being made of bricks.

However, it turned out that they didn't need to make a choice. As fate would have it, their commanding officer was at the village as well - a tall man bearing the outfit of a Lucian military general. "Oi, you two! I showed up here for a routine check when I heard about your mission. And it looks like I can streamline things for you a bit."

Ivan walked over, noticing that his superior's jacket was covered in mud. "What do you mean?"

The general motioned towards the door. "There's a couple living in here that we just caught red handed. We found them trying to steal some drugs from a pharmacy in a rich town fairly far away from this meager place. Gotta hand it to them, the fact that they nearly got away with it is a marvel - the guards in that place must have been slacking off. But me and my team still caught them in the act."

Ivan and Elise slowly made their way into the small hut. Seated on a worn mattress, a blonde couple breathed heavily as soldiers restrained their hands, their bruised appearances suggesting that they had just been in a fight. A small bundle was clutched in the woman's arms - a child?

One of the soldiers clicked his tongue bitterly. "We said we'd let them off the hook if they gave us the medicine back. But they not only refused, but tried to resist! Unbelievable...they even fought and injured several of our soldiers..."

"We can't...find those anywhere around here…" the man coughed. "And they're exorbitantly expensive."

Ivan frowned. "That's no excuse for stealing."

"You of all people should know that the economic situation in the common villages is in the dirt! We need that medicine badly...our daughter is deathly ill!"

One of the soldiers clapped his hand over the man's mouth. "Shut up, you! Damn peasants…"

"Everyone, calm down!" Elise shouted. "All of you!"

Everyone fell silent. Besides Ivan and the general, Elise outranked everyone in the room. And in Lucia, obeying authority was of utmost importance.

The commoner woman lowered her head. "We know you've come to do something. Do what you will...but please save our daughter. I beg of you..."

The general thought about this. "Now that I think of it...that sounds about fair. We'll let your daughter have the medicine, and we'll even let you off the hook for your thievery. In exchange...Ivan, Elise, shift the princess' curse on their daughter."

Ivan backed up in surprise. "W-What?"

Elise stared at him. "You would curse their daughter, and intentionally prolong her life? It would probably be better just to let them die!"

"Hey, it's a fair deal in my eyes." the general replied bluntly. "They said they'd be fine with anything as long as their daughter still lived. It's a fitting punishment - after all, stealing is one thing, but opposing authority is the gravest crime there is. Do it, you two. That's an order."

Those were the magic words. Sighing, Ivan and Elise bowed to their superior. "As you say."

Ivan gently set Kagura on a nearby stool. He took the baby girl from her mother's trembling hands as Elise put down her bag, taking out all of their magic equipment. Several soldiers helped her set up as Ivan turned towards the terrified parents. "What's her name?"

"...Kagami, sir. Her name is Kagami."

"Kagami…" Ivan mused. However, he said nothing else. Soon, all of the equipment was prepared, and Elise placed one end of a long, cable-like device on Kagura's head. "Hold this still, alright?"

The infant princess just nodded.

Taking the other end of the device, she unbundled the other baby's head. She had short golden hair, curious blue eyes the color of an oceanic vista, and pale skin that was flushed as a result of her high fever. Despite all the things that had been drilled into her mind about commoners being lesser beings and inferior to the nobles, Elise couldn't help but think about how beautiful the little child was. It made what she had to do even harder.

Pressing the device to the baby's head, she closed her eyes and prepared the procedure. "Kagami...I'm sorry."

The process didn't take long. A couple of violet flashes, and it was done.

"Well, that was easy." the general said, heading out the door. "Come on, team. We're leaving. Ivan, Elise, you should do the same. The young princess doesn't deserve to be in such a filthy place."

One of the soldiers elbowed the trembling parents and tossed them the bottle of medicine. "Hey. You got something to say?"

"...Thank you..."

Ivan gingerly placed the now-cursed infant on the bed, their parents still too scared to even pick her up. As Ivan left without another word, Elise stared back at Kagami, the infant's innocent blue eyes boring into her guilty red ones - unaware of what Elise had done to her, yet still shooting molten nails into Elise's heart.

However, she soon noticed Kagami's gaze shift. She was staring at the young princess - and Kagura was staring right back at her. Neither of them were fully aware of what had transpired. Kagura didn't know that Kagami had given up all hope of living a happy life in exchange for her prosperity.

The princess reached out as if to touch her, only for Elise to gently lower her hand. "We have to go, princess. Your parents are waiting for you."

As she picked Kagura up and headed out the door, the princess didn't stop staring at the infant commoner. And as Kagura was transfixed by the child whose life she had inadvertently ruined, she spoke for the first time since arriving in the village.

"Ka...gami?"

_About five years later…_

Kagami wandered through the village streets, idly kicking a stray pebble and watching it bounce along the cobblestones. It was a breezy, cloudy afternoon, and she enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her hair - but it did little to improve her mood. 

As she continued walking listlessly, several children ran in front of her, chasing a small ball. Instead of going around her, the group just ran into her, knocking her aside and sending her tumbling across the hard ground. A dazed and bruised Kagami just lay there and shook her head, watching the kids run away - they hadn't bothered to apologize, or even acknowledge her existence.

Although her memory of her earliest years of life were foggy, Kagami had once been loved. She vaguely recalled her parents - she had been the spitting image of them. With fair skin, short hair the color of gold, and sparkling blue eyes, they had always told her that she looked more like royalty than many of the royals that ruled their society. She remembered being cared about, respected, and loved by all. As for herself, she used to be a normal child as well - wide-eyed, idealistic, and all-loving. Despite her family being poor, she was happy.

However, one day, after Kagami had miraculously overcome a bout of illness, all of that suddenly started to change. All of the people that once treated Kagami with warmth started turning away from her. Adoration quickly became disappointment, and sometimes contempt. Even her own parents - the ones who had raised her - began to see Kagami in a far harsher light.

Kagami had no idea what had caused this. She was barely two when this happened, and her two-year-old mind had been scared out of its wits. Not only were the people who once treated her well suddenly turning on her, her parents were starting to hate her - treating her less like their daughter and more like a strain on their meager resources. As her world slowly collapsed, and horrid cacophony constantly rang through their home, Kagami had just curled up and cried incessantly. _Why does everyone suddenly hate me? What did I do wrong?_

Her parents' arguments about her escalated as Kagami started getting isolated from the rest of the people in the village - and Kagami only blamed herself for their suffering. This came to a head one fateful day, when she had been left alone while her parents went to the higher-class factory where they worked. Out of nowhere, a soldier had showed up and bluntly brought her some bad news - her parents had been killed in an equipment malfunction. Tossing her a pouch of coins as compensation, the soldier had left right then and there - leaving Kagami an orphan.

Left alone in a seemingly hostile world, Kagami somehow managed to integrate herself into society, taking up residence in the local orphanage. However, life had become painful for her - everyone that saw her seemed to harbor a deep hatred for her existence. Ever since the first day she arrived, all of the other children had treated her like a black sheep - the nicer ones ignoring her, the others relentlessly harassing her for seemingly no reason but their own amusement.

As she grew, it became evident that she was an extremely sickly child. None of the villagers were at the peak of their health, what with things like food already being fairly scarce, but Kagami was especially frail. She was very short for her age, with no physical strength or endurance to speak of. Not only did this make her everyday life far harder, it also left her at the complete and utter mercy of her tormentors - telling an adult wasn't an option, since few believed her, and the ones who did didn't care. She had no choice but to take solace in hope alone, praying that they'd leave her alone today.

Days, months, years - Kagami's waking moments were suffocated in misery. Sometimes, the sun came out and made her feel better. But on the days when she didn't have that luxury, the only warmth she had was from her own tears.

_...I must have done something terrible to deserve this…_

But to her knowledge, she was 100% innocent. And so, her mind came to a different conclusion.

_...Perhaps just being born was my crime…_

However, Kagami eventually realized that wallowing in self-loathing would get her nowhere. Within her despair, a flame burned - one formed of her unshakable resolve to keep going on. If fate itself hated her, then she just had to challenge her fate. From that day on, she made a promise to herself - to prove to the world that no matter what it threw at her, she would survive - and she would thrive.

But living as a pariah was hard. Many times, Kagami had come close to giving up - not only on challenging the odds, but on life itself. And if it weren't for what had happened on one fateful day, she very well may have lost hope and vanished from the world forever.

"Any...jobs for you?"

The baker stared down at the little girl smiling up at him. The child had visited his bakery almost daily, yet he couldn't seem to _not_ be mildly surprised whenever she showed up. With cobalt eyes and short golden hair arranged in side-swept bangs, she was dressed in the same attire she wore every single day - a brown tunic over a white undershirt, with black leggings and brown boots. Her outfit was a bit too big for her - she had said she had just bought one that would likely last her a while, since she didn't know if she could afford to buy additional sets of clothing.

The girl nodded. "Yeah. Do you have a job for me today?"

Every day, Kagami would approach the baker and ask him the same question. The daycare was responsible for her survival, sure, but they gave her the bare minimum required to live. To survive in this unforgiving world, Kagami needed money. And so, at the tender age of six, she had started doing jobs around the town.

As much as they disliked her, the townsfolk couldn't really refuse help. And so, Kagami managed to make a meager yet stable income.

However, today the baker shook his head. "I don't have anything for you. We ran out of supplies, so we had to shut the store down today."

"Oh…" was the reply. "Well...thank you anyways."

The man just turned away. "Yeah, whatever. I have personal things to do, so get lost."

Kagami hopped down the steps of the bakery. In order to adapt, she had forged a cheery, friendly exterior to act as her shell - if she couldn't stop the villagers from disliking her, she could at least make them appreciate her being around. And it worked...sometimes, at least.

Or at least that's what she told herself. Years of suffering had made Kagami adopt a negative outlook on life - if the world hated her, then why shouldn't she hate the world as well? But in reality, Kagami yearned to be kind. Not only did she want others to care about her, she wanted to be able to care about others. So, in a way, she was pretending to be what she truly was, in an attempt to conceal what she was not. A shell concealing the shroud of her true self - a double negative.

Noticing that the sun was slowly starting to set, Kagami walked onto the path around the village and started to run. While her frail body was ill-suited for any form of exercise, she had still made a point of exercising every day in an attempt to alleviate her natural sickliness. And it had worked - while she was still very weak, she probably would have been far worse off if she had not trained so frequently.

Muscles burning and throat parched, Kagami panted as she ran a lap around the village perimeter. She had half a mind to push herself and try for three today, but someone stuck out their leg just as she picked up speed again.

Tumbling face-first into the ground, Kagami barely moved as she felt several people crowd around her. She really didn't have time for this...but alas, she didn't control fate.

"Hey!" a young-sounding voice called as several arms lifted Kagami to her feet. "You mind helping us with something?"

Kagami didn't reply. The days that the village youth _didn't_ harass her were a rarity, so she had gotten a bit used to it. Who it was, what they wanted, what they did, how badly Kagami got hurt - that changed by the day.

She tried to dust herself off and walk away, but an older girl grabbed her by the arm. "That wasn't a question. Come here!"

Kagami let herself get pushed along by the group. With her physical condition, it wasn't like she could overpower anyone her age - and a lot of these kids were at least a year older than her. She wasn't going to waste her strength.

Soon, they took Kagami to a small store in the center of town. Upon their arrival, the girl from before unhanded her. "So, a little bit before now, some guards came by to do a checkup on the village. But while he wasn't looking, his horse did its business in front of our store. And the guard didn't even bother to clean it up! Rude! My parents told me to clean it up before they left for some errand, but I figured I could have you do it for me."

Kagami idly stared at the pile of horse dung in the yard. "...Do it yourself."

The girl frowned. "Come on, wouldn't you? Make yourself useful for once in your life and do me a favor!"

Someone pushed her from behind, sending her staggering towards the dung. Deciding that the fastest way to get rid of them was to comply, she forced a friendly smile. "Alright, I'll give you a hand. You have gloves or something?"

"Just use your hands, or something! That's how I do it most of the time!"

Kagami sighed, trying not to cry or throw up. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the brown pile, knelt down, and picked it up, trying to ignore its slimy texture and pungent smell. She could hear surprised gasps of disgust from behind her, along with several sniggers of amusement.

_They enjoy my shame. My suffering is their amusement..._

Maintaining her smile, Kagami turned around and presented the pile to the girl, who recoiled. "Alright, pleasure doing business with you. Where do you want me to put this?"

"Ew, get it away from me! Don't just hold it up like that!" the girl yelled, making waving motions with her hand while holding her nose with the other. "Just put it with the rest of the garbage, or something!"

"Garbage..." Kagami said as she glared at her. "Okay."

With that, she thrust her arm at the girl.

As weak as Kagami was, she was still strong enough to splatter the dung pile all over the girl's shirt. Some of it got onto the girl's face, causing her to back up and emit a shrill shriek. She obviously hadn't expected the tiny orphan girl she had decided to pick on today to actually fight back.

All of the other youth backed up as well, and Kagami couldn't help but smile at this small victory. It wasn't often that she lost control of her emotions like that - her situation had molded her into a stoic and abnormally mature child. But now that she had, she felt a sensation of indulgence at this rare privilege...and she laughed. Even as she saw everyone approaching her furiously...even as she knew what the price of her actions was...she still laughed.

"You little freak!" the girl screamed, raising her fist and swinging. Kagami raised her arms to block the strike, but her eyes widened in shock as the older girl violently kneed her in her now-unguarded stomach, instantly knocking the wind out of her and sending her keeling over in pain. As Kagami instinctively curled up to defend herself, the children surrounded her and started mercilessly kicking her while she was down.

Kagami had gotten used to suffering physical harm, but she still felt everything. Every shoe digging into her body, every impact that she felt would crack her fragile bones, every strike at her face that she feared would get her eyes. But even as tears started running down her face, she couldn't stop chuckling pitifully to herself.

The townspeople walked by the brutal scene, but none of them raised a finger to help Kagami. They just tried to ignore her, like she was some random animal being mauled in the forest - except most of them might have actually helped a random animal in need. It had always been like this, so Kagami wasn't expecting any help - but she was never really able to force herself to stop hoping.

Eventually, the children got tired of bullying her and left, seemingly forgetting about her existence. Curled up on the ground, Kagami was a bruised, dirty mess, her entire body wracked with pain. Slowly, she raised her hand and touched her nose, eyes narrowing as she felt her fingers come away warm and red.

She heard an adult talking to the girl she had retaliated against, and winced in anticipation. The girl's parents had evidently just come back, meaning that she had told them about what had happened - almost certainly leaving out Kagami's half of the story - and Kagami feared the result.

Sure enough, she felt a pair of hands roughly grab her by the collar and lift her up. The girl's father glared at her, eyes filled with unbridled fury. "Why, you...how dare you do that to our daughter! Leave our store, and don't come back! You're not wanted here!"

Kagami barely had time to nod before the man hurled her into the streets. Tumbling across the cobblestones, Kagami skidded to a stop next to a fountain. Barely able to move her muscles, Kagami stared into the cloudy sky idly as all of the passerby just stepped over her, not even bothering to go around her. She got occasional looks of sympathy, but again, nobody raised a finger to help her.

Slowly, she raised her hand, her bloodied fingers clutching the edge of the fountain. When she found out the hard way that she currently lacked the strength to do so, her hand fell to the ground, clutching at the cobblestones instead. In a strained motion, Kagami dragged herself a few centimeters forward. Then, she did it again. And again. The rough stones beneath her scraped her skin through her clothing, but it was less painful than moving normally in this state. A few centimeters at a time, Kagami sought out a certain place - the one place where she could feel at peace.

As she slowly dragged herself across the cobblestones, she could practically feel the gazes of the townsfolk burning into her, along with their words.

"Who is she? What is she doing?"

"What a pathetic little creature…poor thing..."

"...Should we help her? Well...it's not our problem."

Kagami just didn't understand. These were the same people whom she had observed living poor but peaceful lives, and they had proven to be mostly friendly. Even the village youth were usually rowdy at best, although some were more aggressive than others - kids would be kids. But the moment they saw her, their faces would fill with contempt, their actions and mindsets would be directed against her, and their sense of rational reasoning was often replaced with violence and fury. And once she was no longer in their line of sight...they returned to normal.

_What did I do to deserve this? Why was I created this way?_

After dragging herself for a few minutes, she mustered up the strength to get up and start limping. Amidst strange looks, she hauled herself to the outskirts of town. Then, to the nearest forest.

Only once she entered the forest did she let her tears flow freely.

_Several hours later…_

Kagami sat on the precipice of a cliff, idly swinging her legs. After sobbing uncontrollably for a few minutes, she had dealt with her bleeding nose and washed herself off in the river. Fortunately, her clothes hadn't been damaged - Kagami didn't want to waste money having them mended or buying a new set. And for all of her physical frailty, Kagami was grateful that she could still recover from injury reasonably quickly.

Outside the village, there was a reasonably sized forest. Too large for the youth to want to explore, too small for the woodcutters to visit. It was an isolated area, with no human inhabitants - at least, until Kagami had come along. 

_If nobody likes me, I'll just have to go somewhere with nobody in it._ That was what she had thought when the villagers' disdain of her had peaked. Obviously, she hated the orphanage that she lived in - it was full of uncaring caretakers and callous youth, while only giving her the bare minimum for survival. So, she had taken up residence in the forest, for the most part - nobody would look for her, and _definitely_ nobody would miss her absence. This was her sanctuary. Her safe place.

In a world where she could rely on nobody, Kagami tried to rely on herself. In the musty old village library, Kagami had gone through countless books on basic survival, forcing herself to understand words far beyond her reading level. There weren't _too_ many books, the village being a poor one, but there were more than enough for her. Then, she had observed campers - as fortune would have it, she could see a popular camping spot from the edge of the forest. Every day, she had watched these trained people do what they loved, and had tried to imitate their techniques. After constant reading and training, Kagami had learned the ropes of how to survive in the forest - she could make fire, cook food, catch fish, tie knots, and the like. Fortunately, the forest and its immediate area were rich with natural resources, and had nearly everything Kagami needed to survive and thrive - even having a small cave teeming with basic minerals and a small spring.

Despite constant failure and the insurmountable difficulty of the task, she forced herself to learn all of this with fierce determination - because as long as she could survive, the forest was definitely better to live in than the village. And in her sanctuary, survival was free.

The clouds had mostly cleared up, giving Kagami the privilege of witnessing a breathtaking sunset. A cool wind blew through the fiery skies as the setting sun warmed her body, eliciting a content sigh from the girl. Every facet of the landscape spread out before her filled her heart with wonder - sprawling forests teeming with life, monolithic mountains that pierced the clouds, pristine rivers glimmering with the sun's radiance, even the distant roar of her nearest waterfall. _I love nature. Nature doesn't hate me...it doesn't make me feel bad. It makes me feel peaceful...like everything is okay._

However, another thing that Kagami loved about her sanctuary was that it overlooked many civilizations, all more fortunate than the one she lived in. She had learned from a young age that the people of Lucia were segregated into classes. Classes were expected to show total fealty to any classes above them, and intermingling between them was rare at best and forbidden at worst. Yet here, from her vantage point atop the cliff, she was free to watch all of the citizens below go about their daily lives. To the left and right of her, she saw many farms - their inhabitants living lives filled with both labour and satisfaction. In front of her, she saw all of the higher-class towns, their citizens living carefree lives filled with joy. And a bit farther away, on top of another mountain, she could sometimes make out the nobles and royalty within the grand citadel of the kingdom's capital city, Zenith. She couldn't see those properly, but she imagined they lived lavish lives completely free of worry.

_How I wish I were one of them…_

Although the environment around her made Kagami feel at ease, her situation always came back to bite her eventually. And with that realization came too many questions that she didn't know how to - or couldn't bear to - answer. _What's waiting for me in the world? Why am I still here? How long can I keep going? Are my efforts for nothing?_

Kagami just sighed and stared wistfully into the horizon.

However, her daze was broken by the sound of a snapped twig.

Kagami flinched, quickly scooting away from the cliff's edge before she could fall to her death. Turning around, her eyes darted around frantically. "Who's there! If you're a person, and not an animal, show yourself!"

For a few seconds, all was silent except for the ambient noises of the forest. Then, a small figure stepped out from behind a tree. "U-Um…"

Kagami's visitor was a young girl that looked about her age - although, unsurprisingly, she was a good bit taller than her. The girl was clad in unusually fancy-looking clothing - a collared light blue shirt over a white blouse, a long white skirt, a short blue mantle with silver edges, whitish boots with black leggings, and an odd blue-and-silver neckerchief. She had flowing silver hair that reached down to her waist, along with a pair of warm golden eyes that seemed to dimly illuminate the dark forest.

Needless to say, Kagami was quite surprised to have such an odd visitor. "Who...are you?"

The girl seemed to flinch at her words, fidgeting nervously as she repeated what Kagami had asked. "W-Who are you?"

Kagami frowned. "Um...okay. Well, my name is Kagami."

The newcomer flinched again. "K-Kagami? Your name...sounds familiar."

"Does it?"

She shook her head. "I-I don't remember. Well...it's nice to meet you."

That took Kagami completely by surprise. She wasn't rebuffing her like everyone else she'd met? And she actually _seemed happy_ to meet her? Who was this girl?

"E-Er…" Kagami stammered, nearly having a panic attack as she tried to remember proper greeting etiquette - she hadn't needed to use those skills in years. Extending her hand, she tried her best to smile. "Well...it's good to meet you, too."

The other girl took her hand, shaking it uncertainly. "Oh, I'm glad! My name is Kagura. Kagami...Kagura...they kinda sound alike..."

She trailed off upon seeing that Kagami was as white as a sheet. "U-Um...is something wrong?"

Instantly, Kagami pulled out of the handshake. "Y-You're _the_ Kagura? Princess of the Lucian Kingdom?"

"Oh...you've already heard of me?" Kagura asked, slightly stunned.

Kagami got on her knees and bowed profusely. "I'm so sorry, princess! Please forgive me for not recognizing you sooner...I was being quite informal..."

"N-No! Stop it!" Kagura yelled, flapping her arms frantically as her face flushed red. "There's no need for any of that! Cut it out, please! It's so embarrassing..."

Hesitantly, Kagami raised her head. "R-Really? Do you...not like it?"

Kagura shook her head as she calmed down. "If it isn't too much. I want you to treat me like you would anyone else. Actually, I want you to treat me...as a friend! Can we be friends, please?"

Kagami was hit with an almost physical force that sent her mind reeling. "W-What? My...f-friend?"

The young princess realized what she had just said and quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "Ah! S-Sorry, that was a bit bold of me...that's too sudden, isn't it? It's too early for that...I'm sorry..."

However, Kagami wasn't upset or anything - she was just in utter disbelief. Friend...she hadn't heard that word addressed to her for years - in fact, she wasn't sure if she had _ever_ heard someone say that word to her. "You...want to be...my friend?"

Kagura fidgeted. "I-If it's not too much…"

"Really? Please, please tell me this isn't a cruel joke…"

"Please...I really want to have a friend…"

The two children stared at each other with desperate eyes - and they simultaneously reached a conclusion. "I...want to be your friend."

At the sound of these words, Kagura broke into a wide smile, only for Kagami to return the smile in kind. Then, both of them laughed, ran at each other, and embraced each other in a hug.

Even as Kagami smiled, tears started leaking from her eyes. The feeling of a warm embrace...Kagami couldn't remember it at all, and she never really imagined that she would ever feel such a thing. Yet now, it was like the feeling of being hugged had triggered a sudden emotional overflow within her - and the only way she could express it was through tears. At the same time, Kagura cried as well - both at her new friend's sudden tears, and at the genuine, warm embrace she no longer remembered.

Soon, the two were on their knees, hugging each other tightly and laughing while tears ran down both of their faces.

Yet, it was unmistakable that it was the birth of a deep friendship.

_An hour later…_

"That's...terrible." Kagura whispered. "To be living like that for years…I can't imagine how much it hurt. Kagami...you're super strong for surviving this long!"

Kagami just smiled sadly. "I don't understand why everyone hates me so much. I never did anything to wrong them, but it's like fate itself has cursed me."

Kagura shook her head. "I feel bad for complaining earlier. Compared to what you've been going through...I'm truly blessed."

Just a few minutes before, the two children had been telling each other about their lives - and Kagami had discovered that the life of a princess wasn't as carefree as she thought. Not only was Kagura already being forced to take countless classes and lessons to accentuate her image as an illustrious heiress, but her world seemed like a cold one entirely devoid of genuine love. Nobody saw her as a person...only as a princess, a future ruler. Even her own parents treated her less as their daughter, and more as their successor.

"Just because I'm worse off doesn't mean you're doing fine." Kagami replied. "I get everything you said...loneliness is the worst feeling in the world."

Kagura sighed and stared into the horizon, her golden eyes glowing as they reflected the evening twilight. "Princess...it's a word that means so much. But turns out it means so much...that it's all people care about. Back home, everyone serves me and bows to me...but I can feel that they're not addressing me - they're addressing their princess. Surely I mean something more than just a title...but nobody treats me that way. I'm not allowed to say what I think, follow what I feel...I know it's greedy, but sometimes I just want to live a normal life. I try to be composed, polite, obedient, and everything else that I was told to be...everyone says that I'm a good girl, but I don't know if that's what I really want..."

Kagami nodded. "I can see where you're coming from. If it means anything, Kagura...in case you need anything from a commoner like me, I'll be ready to help you."

"There's no need to call yourself a commoner, we're friends...wait a second. Y-You called me...Kagura."

Kagami nodded again. "Yeah. You said you didn't want to be called princess, right?"

"...T-Thank you so much! It means a lot to me..."

The golden-haired girl frowned again. "What I still don't understand is why you're not rejecting me. Every person I've met instinctively dislikes me...so why are you the one exception?"

Kagura thought about it, then shrugged. "I don't know. Oh...maybe it's fate!"

"Fate?" Kagami repeated. "Uh...I'm not sure about that. Again, fate doesn't seem like a fan of mine."

"Well, maybe it decided to be nice to you for once!"

Kagami smiled wryly as she decided to try something. "Okay, whatever you say... _princess."_

The effect of her experimental jab was immediate. Kagura made a choking sound and instantly turned as red as a beet. The young princess looked ready to pummel Kagami...only to start laughing. At this, Kagami giggled as well. At least now she knew how to easily get a rise out of her new friend.

After they laughed for a bit, Kagami remembered something. "Oh yeah...why are you here in the first place, Kagura? I thought that the princess of Lucia had to stay in the castle all the time."

"Ah...about that…" Kagura muttered abashedly. "I'm not supposed to be here."

"...Say what?"

Kagura looked mightily embarrassed. "The people at my home...well, they _really_ don't like the lower class, especially commoners. They keep trying to tell me that we're superior, and that they're just lesser life...no offense. And they told me I'm not supposed to ever talk with one, much less interact with one. But I grew really curious about what life is like for most of the kingdom...plus, uh, nobody up there wants to be my friend. So, since I often get taken out to play and explore, I snuck away from my retainers and came here - and that's when I saw you."

Kagami frowned. "Man, people at your home seem to be real sticks in the mud."

"I-I can't really say that…" Kagura muttered, but the look in her eyes betrayed her a little. "If anything, my retainers are nice...they take care of me, even if they're a bit distant at times. My mom and dad don't really look after me a whole lot, but they're often really busy, so I understand."

"Do they...look any different, by chance? Everyone in the village seems to think that people in higher classes look quite different from commoners."

Kagura thought about that. "Well, they dress in fancier clothes, for one. I've never seen someone wearing anything like what you're wearing...everything's way more colorful, and way less plain."

Noticing Kagami's slightly self-conscious look, she frantically waved her hands. "N-No offense! That came out wrong..."

"No, it's fine. But how about physical features? Are the people up there really totally different from us?"

"Well...not really." Kagura replied. "Different clothing probably makes everyone look really different compared to you guys, but people are people - noble or not. I guess I look a little odd compared to everyone around me, but that's just because I look like my parents, and they look _really_ different. Everyone at home seems a little weirded out, though...maybe it's my hair or eyes that seem weird?"

Kagami stared at her incredulously. "Really? Silver and gold...why would that be weird? I think they're super pretty, and you are too!"

Kagura made a tiny squeaking noise and tried to bury her face in her sleeves. "Y-You really think so?"

The princess got a nod as a response. Kagami was being totally honest. With argent strands for hair and pools of warm gold for eyes, Kagura radiated a kind of mystical beauty - one that Kagami found awe-inspiring.

Kagami could practically see steam emanating from the young princess as she fidgeted abashedly, face alight with embarrassment. "T-Thank you...now I have to compliment you, as well…"

"H-Hey!" Kagami sputtered, suddenly becoming the flustered one as Kagura began scrutinizing her intensely. "Wait a minute, you really don't have to…"

However, Kagura already seemed mesmerized for some reason. "Y-Your eyes…"

"...Huh? What do you mean..."

Kagura gasped as Kagami tilted her head, catching the twilight at an optimal angle. There was something about Kagami's cobalt eyes that held her enraptured - staring into them was like staring into pure, endless oceans, which now had sunlight refracting and glittering within them. But the most remarkable thing about them was that Kagura was sure she had seen them somewhere before. "They're oddly familiar...and they're really pretty…"

Kagami choked. The last time someone had complimented her appearance...no, complimented her _at all_ was when her parents were still alive, four-ish years ago. "Uhh...thank you. The last time someone told me that was my parents...they said I looked like I could pass for royalty. It was really nice of them..."

"Oh, but you could!" Kagura exclaimed. "Like I said, people in the noble class look about the same as everyone else! And you sure _look_ regal...gold hair and blue eyes are already a really nice combination! You look kind of like some of the heroes I read about in our library!"

This time, it was Kagami's turn to bury her face in her sleeves. "I...I don't know what to say. For the princess to tell me that...no, a _friend_ to tell me that..."

Kagura just smiled. "No worries!"

Then, as her stomach growled, she winced abashedly. "Forgive me, but...do you have anything to eat?"

"Oh, of course!" Kagami replied, getting up and dusting herself off. "In fact, I haven't had dinner yet, so I can cook something up."

"Cook?" Kagura asked, as if unfamiliar with the word - which she was, since she had only ever eaten food served to her by the castle chefs. "If you spend all your time here...how do you make food?"

"You can watch me!" was the response as Kagami walked off. Curiosity brimming within her, Kagura enthusiastically followed her new friend.

For the next couple of minutes, Kagura was locked in a state of utter fascination. Her retainers had told her stories of people like fishermen and farmers, but she had never seen one in action. Yet here she was, watching a girl her age performing all of their tasks by herself.

First of all, Kagami went to a stream flowing through the forest, with Kagura in quick pursuit. The princess watched as she reached into the river and instantly pulled a wriggling fish out, dropping it onto a small cloth blanket. Then, she had done the same with a second one.

"W-What?" Kagura exclaimed. "You can just pull fish out of the water?"

The commoner child laughed in response. "Of course not! I go fishing a lot, since the river and nearby lake are pretty lively. Since I'd like to save food for later, I made a little holding pen out of sticks and rocks, where I put everything I catch. I keep them healthy, and when I need food, I cook them."

Kagura was awestruck by this mundane innovation. "Whoa, that's so cool!"

"Having your own source of food is nice...food isn't that common around here, and it's kind of expensive around here. I think everyone thinks the fish here are too small to be worth catching, and I hope it stays that way so that I don't have to compete with anyone. Although I don't think you'd be familiar with these kinds of problems..."

Kagura shook her head guiltily.

Taking the wriggling fish to a hollow tree, Kagami took a small pocket knife out of a hole in its bark. Then, roughly grabbing the fish to hold it still, she positioned the knife in the center of its forehead before ramming the blade into its skull, yanking it out as the fish spasmed violently and fell still.

Kagura stumbled backwards in fright. "Ah! What are you doing?"

Kagami was unfazed as she did the same thing to the other fish. "I'm not going to gut a living fish, and I'm not cooking it without gutting it." Noticing Kagura's discomfort, she shifted her position so that her body was obscuring the fish. "If you don't want to see it, I understand."

"...O-Okay. Sorry..."

Soon, Kagami had eviscerated both fish and placed all of the entrails in neat piles - she wasn't quite sure what to do with both of them, but she was sure that she could find a use if she just looked hard enough. Pulling out her knife, she chopped them into smaller pieces, gave them a wash in the river, and skewered them on two sticks she had prepared a day ago. Keeping them on the cloth from before, she quickly gathered some sticks from nearby piles and arranged them into a neat teepee formation within a small pit nearby.

"You seem really prepared." Kagura remarked. "You had all of this stuff ready before?"

Kagami nodded. "Yeah, I like to keep things ready at all times. Plus, I use them a lot, so there's no harm in keeping everything prepared."

"Wow! You're so cool, Kagami!"

Kagami nearly tripped. "C-Cool? I mean...well, uh...thank you."

With a few strikes from two metallic stones, a small fire flared to life within the pit. Kagura watched in awe - she didn't know that one could start fires with simple rocks and wood. As Kagami took the skewers and held them over the fire, Kagura extended her hand. "You don't have to do this for me! I'll hold them!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I can't just watch as you do everything! I want to help too!"

Surprised at just how un-royal Kagura seemed, Kagami gratefully handed the princess the two skewers, which she took and cautiously held over the fire. As they cooked, Kagami took her knife to the river, taking the opportunity to wash her hands and her blade. Gazing at her reflection in the cold metal, Kagami thought about how good of an investment that it was. It would likely continue to serve her for a long time.

Soon, both of the fish skewers had been thoroughly cooked. Kagura had been surprisingly adept at handling the food - she had eagerly watched the castle chefs cook through the kitchen window, so she had a small idea of what she was doing.

"Finished!" Kagami said as she took her skewer. "And that's how you make a meal in the wild! There's still room for improvement, but all that reading really paid off."

"Wow! You're so awesome, Kagami!"

Kagami still felt odd every time the young princess praised her. She hadn't gotten praise from anyone in years, and now someone of such high status was praising her?

As Kagura eagerly blew on her fish and bit into it, Kagami suddenly felt self-conscious. "Er...I'm sure it's not even a fraction as good as what you're used to. I have to make do with what I have...but in advance, I'm sorry…"

"What are you saying? This is amazing!"

"E-Eh?"

Kagura's face was practically glowing. "You're right, it's totally unlike anything I've had before...but it's really good! It really _feels_ like it came straight from nature!"

Kagami was duly surprised. "I...didn't think you would be impressed by such things. Surely this is way worse than what you're used to…"

"Don't say that." Kagura replied. "It's simpler...but that doesn't mean it's worse."

The commoner child was stunned. Kagura was now occupied with her meal, so Kagami decided to do the same thing. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.

After the two children finished, Kagami put the skewers away while Kagura washed her hands in the river, surprised at how cold the water was. As Kagami washed her hands as well, Kagura bowed deeply to her. "Thank you for cooking for me!"

Kagami choked. "Don't bow to me like that! It's making me feel really strange…"

"Why?" Kagura asked. "Remember, we're friends! When someone cooks for you, you thank them - and that's how I was taught to thank people."

Kagami just sighed and nodded. "Those fish were a little more fatty than I predicted. It's not that often that I catch better ones."

Kagura frowned in response. "For someone who basically has all of the forest's food to themselves, you're still kinda small and thin."

She was afraid Kagami would take offense, but she just nodded. "Well, I still don't eat a whole lot - it's good to consume resources sustainably. Second, it's true that my body has always been unusually frail. I don't know why…"

Kagura experimentally grabbed Kagami's arm, recoiling as she felt a disturbing lack of musculature. With a look of concern in her eyes, Kagura bent the smaller child's arm a little. "That seems really unhealthy. I hope you find out what's causing this soon, because I'm afraid you can get hurt pretty easily like thi-"

Kagami yelped in pain as Kagura bent her arm a little too much for her liking.

"O-Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kagura stammered, letting go as Kagami rubbed her arm. "I didn't know...it would hurt so much…"

Kagami sat down, gazing into the darkening sky. "It's okay. As long as you didn't mean to."

The Lucian princess sat down beside her, only to gasp as she pointed to the sky. "Look! Stars!"

"Mhm. You seem surprised."

Kagura nodded. "I am...the place where I live is really bright. You can't really see anything in the sky, but now, I see...oh! There's one of the constellations I read about!"

Kagami watched as Kagura clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. She could hear her murmuring under her breath, but she couldn't make out the words. "What are you doing?"

"I'm thanking providence for allowing me to meet a friend for the first time."

The blonde girl smiled. "Aw, that's sweet of you. Providence...do you believe in a god, by any chance?"

Kagura shook her head. "Not really, but I do believe that _something_ out there is weaving and pulling at the threads of fate. So, when faced with such good fortune, surely I have to thank them, right?"

"...I guess."

The two children stared into the sky for a bit longer. It was odd, really - they were filled with a profound sense of trust in each other, despite having only known for hours. Any more sensible person would take a little longer to warm up to a new acquaintance, but Kagami and Kagura weren't particularly sensible. They were so devoid of friendship that they had both eagerly latched onto the first sources they could find, and the joy they felt at said friendship was too overwhelming to let go of.

Kagura's golden eyes reflected a streak of light soaring through the heavens. "Kagami, look! Was that a shooting star?"

"Oh my…" Kagami whispered. "That's a first for me. Do you believe in those myths about wishing on shooting stars? Honestly, I'm not particularly convinced."

The princess nodded. "Well, I believe in them. If you don't want your wish, I'll gladly take yours."

"Uh, sure. Is that how that works?"

Kagura smiled. "Alright, it's mine now! I'll use both of our wishes, and wish that we can stay friends forever!"

Kagami's eyes widened. "Wait, hold on! You'd really-"

"Yes, I would!" Kagura replied happily. "Having a friend is such a wonderful feeling, and I want to hold onto it forever! And even if I find new friends...you said everyone you meet hates you, right? Well, I don't hate you - so, if I stay as your friend forever, you won't be alone any more!"

Kagami was lost for words. "I...I'm so honored. Now that you say it...if I had made a wish, I feel that I would have used my wish for something like that, too."

However, the moment was interrupted by a voice from behind them. "Princess! There you are!"

Both children turned around, becoming aware of the two knights running up from behind them. They both wore unblemished silvery-white metal armor, with identical swords hanging at their belts. Neither of them were wearing helmets, so their faces were clearly visible in the flickering firelight - a blue-eyed man with short white hair, and a red-eyed woman with a brown side plait.

"Ivan...Elise…" Kagura mumbled.

The man - Ivan, apparently - knelt down and took Kagura by the hand, gently but firmly pulling her away from Kagami. "You can't just run off like that. You know that the royal court will have our heads on a silver platter if we let anything happen to the kingdom's princess. Plus...well, you had us worried."

Elise looked around. "And what are you doing in a place like this? Your parents gave you explicit orders not to venture near the villages, right? And I recall that they _definitely_ told you that you were forbidden from talking with commoners."

Kagura hung her head. "But...I…"

Both of the knights sighed. "At least we found you. Now come on, we're going back before the king and queen start to suspect anything."

"Hey!" Kagami yelled, running up to them as they started taking her new friend away. "Who are you people, and why are you taking Kagura away?"

Ivan turned towards her. "I don't know what you're doing here, but you _will_ address the princess by her proper title, girl."

Kagami stood as tall as she could. "No! She's Kagura, and she's my friend! Don't just take her like that!"

"A friend?" Ivan repeated. "Being friends with the princess is not something that just anyone can boast about. Especially not a...common village girl like yourself."

Kagami noticed that he frowned slightly when saying those words, as if they left a bitter taste in his mouth. Nevertheless, she balled up her fists and rushed at them in a reckless display of desperation. "No, I _am_ her friend! So what if I'm a commoner?"

"It's fine! Kagami, stop!" Kagura yelled. "You might get hurt!"

At this, both knights flinched. "What did you say?"

However, as Kagami ran, she tripped on a root and fell face-first into the mud. As she groaned and tried to resume her advance, Elise drew her sword and planted it into the ground, its gleaming blade slicing through the space mere centimeters in front of Kagami's head. The girl gasped and jerked back, nearly falling into her campfire as a result. Now that the weapon had been unsheathed, she could see a faintly glowing gem on its winglike guard, the same deep red as the knight's eyes. With a flash of the blade, a furious gale burst forth, blowing Kagami further back as the winds instantly extinguished her campfire.

"We are the esteemed retainers of the Lucian princess." Elise said firmly, glaring down at Kagami. "And it is our job to keep her away from all dangers. And as per the king and queen's orders, we are also required to keep her away from commonfolk such as yourself. If you do not comply, I will not hesitate to use force."

Kagami backed off and fell silent. Noticing that her anger had been defused, Elise took one last look at her despairing expression before sheathing her weapon. "Come on, we're getting out of here."

And with that, Kagami was left alone once more.

She wanted to cry, but at the same time she felt...happy, almost. Even if Kagura was gone now, those last hours had been happier than anything Kagami had felt in a long, long time. And for that, she was grateful.

 _A friend, huh?_ Kagami thought, walking over to her makeshift hammock and lying down. _Friendship...it felt so good. Like my heart was overflowing with warmth…_

Staring into the night sky, Kagami made a reaching motion as if to pull the heavens down and wrap her shivering body in them. _A wish upon a star...Kagura had wished for us to stay friends forever, using both my wish and her own._

_I'm still not too convinced of how true those myths are. But now...the only thing I want...is for that wish to come true._

_The next afternoon..._

Kagami stared. "Aren't you forbidden from coming here?"

Seated by the cliffside, the silver-haired princess beamed at her. "Kind of."

When she had woken up the next morning, she had picked some fruit for breakfast and headed into town to do some jobs. The townsfolk seemed to all have a copious amount of refuse that day, so Kagami had been on garbage disposal duty for several long hours. It was dirty work, but at least she was making a living, as meager as said living was.

Then, when she had retreated back to her sanctuary to wind down and relax, she had somehow found Kagura waiting for her.

"How did you get here?" Kagami asked urgently, frantically looking around. 

"Oh, I snuck away again." Kagura admitted simply. "I argued a bunch with my retainers last night. I admit that I got really upset...it wasn't fun. Thank goodness nobody else was around, or I might have gotten disciplined. But they still agreed to take me out again today, and I feel like all my yelling got to them a bit, since they weren't keeping a super-close eye on me like I thought they would."

"Uh...alright." Kagami said slowly, a bit surprised at how far Kagura would go for this opportunity. "Well, now that you're here...what do you want to do?"

"W-Well...I kind of snuck around and watched all of the village kids play." Kagura said slowly. "So...if it isn't too much, can you teach me some games?"

"Games?" Kagami repeated. "I never get invited to play those, but I do watch the village children play them from time to time. Do you...not have any games to play at home?"

Kagura shook her head. "No...I'm sure everyone knows games, but nobody ever plays them with me. I always have things to do...and things to attend. The only free time I get is when I get to go outside and enjoy myself."

Kagami shook her head. "That's rough. Well...I guess I know a few simple ones...do you know how to thumb wrestle?"

Kagura shook her head, prompting Kagami to quickly go through the gestures of the game with her hands. "You want to hold down your opponent's finger for...ten seconds, is it?"

"...Okay. Let's try it!"

The game ended in about fifteen seconds. After reading Kagami's agile moves for about five seconds, Kagura effortlessly pinned Kagami's thumb and held it completely still for ten seconds despite Kagami's struggling. Not only was Kagami extremely weak, Kagura seemed oddly strong for a child her age - Kagami likely would have needed to use her entire hand to overpower her finger.

"Well, uh…" Kagami stammered, a bit surprised at how fast she had lost. "Good game, I guess..."

In response, Kagura pouted. "That wasn't fair! You already said before that you were a lot weaker than most...you didn't have a real chance of winning! You don't need to go easy on me like that...do you know a game where we can stand on equal ground?"

"Um, do you know what rock-paper-scissors is?" Kagami asked.

To her surprise, Kagura shook her head again. "Nope."

"Well, uh…" Kagami said slowly, performing the hand gestures. "This is rock, this is paper, and this is scissors. Rock beats scissors, which beats paper, which beats rock."

"So...it's like a triangle."

Kagami nodded. "Yeah. Both players count to three by saying 'rock, paper, scissors', and then play their move. You wanna try?"

Kagura nodded and raised her hands. "Alright, here we go!"

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"I win!" Kagami exclaimed, raising her hands in triumph as Kagura stared at her balled-up fist. "See, it's totally fair, and it's short."

The young princess nodded in response. "I see...let's play again!"

For the next twenty minutes or so, the two children repeatedly played each other in rock-paper-scissors. As Kagami had predicted, it was a fair game - both Kagami and Kagura won and lost an equal amount of rounds. Despite the simple nature of the game, Kagura was disproportionately thrilled - throwing herself into each round with boundless enthusiasm. Sometimes, Kagura seemed _happier_ to lose the round to Kagami than to win.

After going on a losing streak, Kagura started attempting to come up with bizarre strategies to assure victory. As much as Kagami assured her that the game was almost entirely luck-based, Kagura was still optimistic about her ideas.

None of them worked.

_Later._

"O-Okay, I spy...uh, something...purple."

Kagami thought about her friend's challenge...for all of five seconds. "You have a good eye. It's that plant over there, the one by my hammock."

Kagura pouted. "Awww! How did you get it so fast?"

"Well, I know this place like the back of my hand. Also, I put it there. It has a really nice color to it, so I put it beside where I sleep."

The princess stared at it. "Well...yeah, that's fair. It's really pretty...but anyways, it's your turn now!"

Kagami looked around for an object, her eyes falling upon her pocket knife. "Alright, I spy something silver."

"Silver..." Kagura mused. Then, to Kagami's surprise, she snapped her fingers, causing a small spark to flare to life before her. As the spark grew, blossoming into an iridescent argent orb, she smiled at her friend. "There, something silver!"

The commoner girl backed up in shock. "What is that? How did you just...make that?"

Kagura nodded. "Yeah. I don't know how it is for you guys, but magic is really commonplace where I live. I've already started learning it...all of the experts say that I'm unusually strong, so my parents made a big point about me learning it as soon as possible."

"That's...so cool!" Kagami exclaimed. "Kagura, why are you so awesome?"

The flustered princess tried to hide her face. "N-No need to praise me like that..."

Just as Kagami was about to ask her to try something new with her powers, there was a rustling noise from behind them as the two knights from last night emerged from the foliage. 

Elise sighed. "Princess...how did we know you would be here again? No more of that. Now follow us, we're heading back."

Kagura just gave Kagami a guilty look as she followed her retainers. This time, both knights just gave Kagami an odd look before vanishing into the forest.

As Kagami's smile began fading from her face, she wondered why they seemed to have been less aggressive about it than the last time they had arrived to take Kagura away. Could it be that Kagura had truly convinced them to allow them to play together?

She didn't know for sure. Her heart hoped it was true, but she had learned that hope could be a dangerous thing. But although she had been molded into a bit of a pessimist by her predicament, Kagami had been born an optimist. Even if she told herself she didn't, the lively spirit buried within her being resonated with hope - the spirit that was now beginning to resurface as a result of her newfound companionship.

But for now, she was gone - and Kagami saw this as a chance to do a few more odd jobs around town, so that she could hopefully buy meals for the next few days. Yet even as she set off, she still thought about the young princess, wondering if she would return.

Over the next week, Kagura brazenly disobeyed the repeated orders from her retainers and visited Kagami daily. The commoner girl was surprised by the turn of events and more than a little embarrassed that the young princess would go so far for her, but she was also overjoyed by the turn of events. Every day, they would explore the forest, play games, or do other things that allowed them to enjoy their time together. Being a sheltered royal, Kagura was extraordinarily curious about the world, eagerly throwing herself into whatever Kagami introduced her to despite what she was used to being incomparable to it. One time, she had even brought a disguise and convinced Kagami to sneak her into town so she could see what village life was like - fortunately, neither of them had been caught, although Kagura had nearly cried after seeing how the villagers treated her unfortunate friend.

Every day, Ivan and Elise would show up at the exact same time to retrieve the princess, almost as if they were running on a schedule. They would always give Kagami a strange look bordering on disapproval, but they never said a word to her when they did this.

Today, however, Kagura had shown up with her retainers in tow.

"Hi!" Kagura almost yelled, tackling Kagami in a hug before pulling away as she realized it might injure her. "It's nice to see you again!"

"Kagura, you've shown up every day for the last week." Kagami groaned, her once-forlorn face nonetheless forming a cheery smile. "You don't need to do this every time...but it's great to see you too."

Kagura nodded. "You said that you'd be bringing a snack today, so I asked for one too! We can trade snacks now!"

Kagami laughed, only for her eyes to drift towards the two knights. "Er...didn't you two say that Kagura was forbidden from talking to me? If you don't mind...why are you letting this happen? Uh, not that I mind."

The towering knights looked at each other. Then, Elise spoke up. "Well, technically we aren't. However, after seeing how much happiness you bring the young princess, we couldn't just take it away from her. She has little to no companionship where she comes from...even when we try our best to care for her, we have orders to maintain a good distance from her. But you, girl...you're proof that Kagura desperately needs a friend in her life. And if that friend is a commoner...if it makes her happy, so be it."

Ivan nodded. "It looks like you've already become very good friends already. As for me, I try to follow the king and queen's orders, but personally I don't care as long as the princess remains safe and healthy."

Secretly, both of them had another reason for their lenience - pity for the child that they recognized from years ago. The poor girl didn't even know why her life was so unreasonably miserable...yet neither of the retainers had the heart to tell her.

Kagami nodded. "Thank you so much. I've never had a friend before...so Kagura's friendship means a lot to me."

Walking up to the retainers, the girl raised her hand. "In that case, that makes us kind of friendly, I guess. Well, then I should properly introduce myself. My name is Kagami."

"We know." Elise blurted.

Kagami flinched. "W-What? Wait...I'm sure Kagura told you about me already. I'm sorry."

Elise shook her head. She knew Kagami, but for a very different reason. "It's...okay."

Looking at the tiny stick of a child, Elise felt a cold feeling building in her heart. A strong pressure urged her to see Kagami in a lens of disdain - telling her that the girl wasn't worth her courtesy. However, with difficulty, she pushed it aside - this was the girl that had made their beloved princess happy. Kneeling down and still failing to to meet her eye level, she shook her hand. "If you insist, I'm Elise."

Ivan seemed to struggle a little harder, but did the same. "And I'm Ivan."

Kagami nodded as the retainers walked off to observe the two children from a distance. "So...what was I saying before?"

"No, I was talking!" Kagura insisted. "I brought a snack for us to share! I...I hope you like it!"

Reaching into the small backpack she carried, Kagura procured a metal box. Opening the box, she smiled nervously as she showed Kagami the contents - a stack of crackers beside a pile of sliced cheese.

Kagami backed up in shock, the unfamiliar aroma striking her like a sledgehammer. The cheese was unlike anything Kagami had seen before, but she could easily tell that it was outside the price range of her entire village. "You...what? How did you get that?"

Kagura tilted her head. "I asked one of the castle servants for a snack, and he gave me this box. It kind of looks like one of the snacks I usually get…"

Ivan and Elise gave each other uncomfortable looks. Her actions may have come across as conceited, but the young princess simply didn't realize that a commoner like Kagami would normally never see such expensive food in her lifetime. Kagami would likely consider it as some kind of otherworldly luxury - and Kagura had just admitted that it was a common snack for the likes of her.

Noticing Kagami's reaction, Kagura frowned. "Do you...not like it?"

"I…" Kagami stammered. "I'm really honored."

"Oh, I'm so glad! What did you bring?"

Kagura fumbled with the small sack behind her back. "Er...uh…"

After seeing what Kagura had brought, her confidence had been shattered. How could anything she brought ever hold a candle to a gift from the kingdom's princess?

"What?" Kagura asked. "If you forgot it, it's okay."

"No, I…" Kagami muttered. "You've brought me something so extravagant, and what I brought is...I'm so embarrassed."

"Show it to me anyways!"

Her face burning, Kagami presented the satchel to the young princess. Opening it, she took out its contents - a singular sweet roll. "H-Here it is…"

Kagura was intrigued. "Whoa, what is that?"

"A-A sweet roll." Kagami said quietly. "Our village bakery sells them, and they're too expensive for me to buy normally. But they're still my favorite food ever...sometimes I treat myself to them if I have enough money. Since we were trading snacks, I wanted to give you the best thing I knew...but after seeing what you brought…"

She was so nervous that she didn't even notice Kagura cautiously taking a piece from the roll and eating it. Seconds later, her eyes seemed to light up. "Kagami, this is amazing!"

"W-What? You don't have to be so kind…"

"No, I mean it! It's super good!" Kagura insisted. "It's light, fluffy, and super sweet...everyone tells me that food from smaller villages isn't good, but this is proof that they're lying. And besides...this was the best snack you could think of, and you spent extra money to buy it for me...that makes it even better!"

Kagami couldn't even form a coherent sentence in response.

The two children ate the snacks together, Kagura retaining her enthusiasm about Kagami's sweet roll. Kagami had been so overwhelmed by the luxurious food that she had actually cried a little - much to Kagura's shock and embarrassment.

Kagami felt a bit bad for asking this of her friend, but she had inquired if she could keep some of the cheese and sell it to build a reserve fund for herself - it likely wouldn't be too hard to convince the village that some noble had given it to her out of pity. Unsurprisingly, Kagura agreed.

After they had eaten, Kagura had expressed a desire to play what amounted to make-believe. She had apparently read one too many fantasy stories in the castle library, and had become enamored with the tales held within their pages. And since she couldn't actually go out on adventures, she had gotten the idea that playing pretend with Kagami was the next best thing - and Kagami agreed to participate.

The princess had requested that Kagami play the role of the noble hero, and that she could be the nefarious overlord the hero was destined to defeat. Kagami was sure it probably had to do with how she didn't want to be seen as an absolute good of sorts, like how she was in her daily life. So, they had agreed to their positions, and were now having more fun than they had experienced in a while.

Clutching a stick in her hands, Kagami mock panted as she raised her weapon. "You! Your reign of terror has gone on long enough! Today, I'll defeat you, and rid this world of your presence!"

Standing on a log to make herself seem taller - which was kind of redundant since she was already a good head taller than Kagami - Kagura gave her best smug grin as she tried and failed not to stutter. "Y-You...uh...you are a brave one, hero! Y-You've gotten farther than any of the others I...uh, destroyed. But your journey ends here! Face me, warrior of light...and behold as my power destroys you!"

"...Was that convincing?"

"It was a good try!"

Smiling at her friend's encouragement, Kagura thrust her hand out, making a whooshing sound with her mouth as an imaginary bolt of lightning shot from her fingertips. Kagami raised her "sword" in defense, only to stumble backwards. "Such power…"

Kagura let out an unusually quiet evil laugh. "Yes, witness my strength! Surrender to me now!"

"Never!" Kagami yelled playfully as she ran at Kagura, stick raised. In response, Kagura picked a nearby stick off the ground and met her light strike, both children pretending to strain against each other.

Kagami pulled out of the lock and lunged, lightly jabbing Kagura in the stomach. The princess feigned shock as she clutched her "wound", backing up. "You...wounded me...impossible."

Watching from a distance, Ivan's eyes widened at the statement, only for Elise to quietly assure him that Kagura wasn't actually hurt.

As Kagami clashed with her foe again and again, Kagura's gold eyes faintly flashed as her heart overflowed with enjoyment. "You've proven that you're a threat. For this, I can go all-out!"

In response, Kagami picked up a small piece of driftwood and held it up, imagining a barrier of energy extending from its edges. "If that's the case, it's finally time to use this! This legendary shield was gifted to me by the gods! Even you shouldn't be able to break this!"

However, to Kagami's utter shock, a genuine, blazing fireball materialized in the princess' hand. "Oh, I wouldn't think so!"

"K-Kagura? What are you doing?" Kagami yelped as Kagura took aim. With a flick of her hand, she sent a comet of fire hurtling at Kagami, who screamed again and jumped out of the way. As she landed hard in the dirt, she felt a heat wave roll over her body as an explosive crack nearly shattered her eardrums.

Looking behind her, Kagami gaped at the scene. Kagura's fireball had blasted a small, smoldering crater into the dirt. Kagura _had_ said she was being taught magic...but she was still a six-year-old child. Just how powerful was she?

"Take that! Where's your shield now, hero…" Kagura boasted, trailing off as her adrenaline rush wore off and she realized what she had done. "Oh no...K-Kagami! Are you okay?"

Kagami groaned and got to her feet as the princess' retainers ran over to survey the situation. "I'm just a little bruised...but what was that?"

In response, tears started coming to Kagura's eyes as she tightly embraced her friend. "I...I'm so sorry! I got carried away, and I hurt you...how could I do something like that? If you hadn't acted so fast, I could have...could have..."

Kagami patted Kagura's shoulder reassuringly despite her bear hug nearly asphyxiating her. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean it…"

After a bit more consoling, Kagura finally calmed down enough for Kagami to restore her oxygen supply. However, Ivan and Elise were clearly unsettled by the turn of events, choosing to take Kagura and head back to the castle early. Kagami was a little sad, but she understood why they would want to do this.

Most people would have been scared of what just happened, and truth be told, Kagami was. However, this ordeal had only made her admire her friend even more - in addition to making her curious about her abilities. _Kagura is so awesome, being able to cast magic like that at such a young age! She said that the magical experts that likely taught her had said she had high potential...but I wonder exactly how powerful she is, or how powerful she will be in the future._

However, those were questions that could be answered another day. Putting out the small lingering fires with water from the nearby river, Kagami decided to head into town and sell the leftover snacks Kagura had given her, but not before trying another cracker with cheese.

It was the best thing she had ever tasted.

As she headed off to the town, she was cut off by a familiar face. "Kagami, is it? Girl, I'd like to talk to you for a moment."

Kagami looked up at the tall man standing over her, recognizing him as Francis - his actual position was beyond her, but he was the village chief for all intents and purposes. With greying hair, a grave yet kindly face, and bespectacled eyes shining with wisdom, Francis instantly gave off the vibe of a wise elder.

"Yeah? What is it?"

Francis frowned. "Listen...I'm not exactly sure how this happened, but I've seen what you've been doing for the last few days. That person with you...that's the young princess Kagura, is it not?"

Kagami's blood froze. "I...er…"

The older man raised his hand. "I apologize for the pointless question. She's only visited this village once, but my memory has never failed me. That was definitely the princess...are you aware of the fact that we aren't supposed to mingle with the higher class? Especially someone as important as the Lucian princess?"

Kagami nodded.

"Then why did you persist?"

"She's lonely, Francis." Kagami told her chief. "It's not fair that she can't have any friends just because of her status. And Kagura...she was the first one to reach out to me...to show me what friendship was like. She's somehow the only one that can tolerate my presence...I'm not going to let this chance go by!"

"So...you would defy the order of this kingdom to be her friend?"

"...Yes, I would."

Francis sighed. "Good grief. I figured you'd say as much. However, I must admit that you have a point...between you and me, judging from the questionable temperaments of the current monarchs, I imagine the life of the princess is as lonely as it is decadent. You two seemed to be having fun...and you're never having fun. For you to be bringing her happiness is an honor, so I guess I can turn a blind eye to this."

As Kagami breathed a sigh of relief, Francis raised a finger. "However, know this. I am in charge of this village, and its safety comes before even my own life. For you to break the rules governing this kingdom and interacting with royalty could possibly put our village in grave danger. I'll allow you to continue doing this, but mark my words - the second this village is put in danger because of your actions, I will not hesitate to report your transgressions if necessary."

"That's okay." Kagami said immediately. "If this world is cruel enough to punish me for wanting a friend, I'll take my punishment."

Francis gave her an odd look. "I'm...glad you understand, at least."

As he walked away, Kagami exhaled shakily. She had thought that she had gotten into some serious trouble, but Francis had always been oddly reasonable. Come to think of it, although he treated her coldly, Francis didn't seem to hate Kagami as much as the other denizens of the town. 

Perhaps he had just seen enough over his long life to avoid judging her so soon? Kagami wasn't exactly sure, but she wasn't about to complain. For now, she was allowed to continue her friendship...to continue being happy.

Unfortunately, Kagura didn't show up the next day, or the next. The princess had mysteriously gone absent, and Kagami was a little worried. Had she been caught by the guards, or maybe even the kingdom's rulers? Would she never see Kagura again?

However, since her optimism had surfaced a bit more as of late, Kagami chose to believe a simpler option. _She's probably busy with her duties and stuff. She's the princess, after all, and princesses probably have lots of stuff to do._

Her plan to sell Kagura's snacks had gone off without a hitch. Using the money that she had received, Kagami finally bought a spare set of clothes - identical to the ones she already wore. Having two sets of clothing was something that she didn't know she had needed until now - although she could still live with only one.

Hiding her newfound funds away so they couldn't be potentially stolen in incidents, Kagami resumed her everyday life - doing jobs, dealing with her neighbors' animosity, surviving, and contemplating life. Although her life was just as dismal as it had been before, there had been one key change - the addition of hope. The mere hope that her dear friend would return one day filled Kagami with an almost unreasonable happiness.

During the times that she would normally be lamenting her life, Kagami thought about all the fun things that she could do with Kagura when she returned. Be it games, talk, or just simply admiring nature, Kagami merely desired the joy of companionship - and she was sure Kagura did too. These thoughts flooded her mind as she waited, day after day, night after night.

And one morning, a week later, a lively smile returned to her face as she saw silver and gold peek out of the foliage, the familiar face making her heart leap.

"Kagami! It's been a bit...but I'm super glad to see you again!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My rampant anime name addiction strikes again
> 
> This is probably going down the wholesome yuri route, but later™


	2. Equilibrium of Smiles and Tears, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Joy and despair maintain a fragile balance._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not rip this quote off of Madoka Magica I swear

Two children who were never supposed to meet. One destined for a miserable life spent hated by all, and one for a lonely life in a gilded cage. Yet, through a stroke of luck, they had met on that fateful day - and despite their differences, they had continued to meet with each other in secret as they grew up.

There were difficulties, but the two always managed to find their way to each other - meeting in secret time and time again. And as they grew older, they became the rays of light in each other's increasingly dismal lives.

_One year after the meeting. Kagami and Kagura: age 7._

Kagura panted as golden embers danced through the air. With a shout and a wave of her hand, she unleashed another wave of lustrous comets that blasted the magical training knights in front of her to pieces. Leaning over and putting her hands on her knees, the princess let out a tense sigh as a buzzer rang out above her.

The robed mage observing her nodded. "That's 49 tests perfectly completed within the time limit. Impressive, your highness - you're improving every day."

Kagura nodded in thanks, although she didn't feel exactly pleased.

From farther away, Aika gave her a thumbs up as Gustav nodded. "You're doing better, my daughter. As the future ruler of Lucia, and a magical prodigy at that, you must master offensive magic as early as possible. If you get good at it now, you'll surely be able to crush all threats to the kingdom in the future."

 _I don't want to crush anyone!_ Kagura thought. _Why can't there just be peace?_

The tester nodded. "Alright. I'm about to start test 50. Princess, are you ready to commence the test?"

"Just start it up." Gustav interjected.

"As you say."

Kagura coughed and unsteadily got up. "Just...for no reason...mom, dad, after this...can you please give me a hug?"

Gustav frowned. "Why would you need something so sentimental?"

"I just want one. I'm...so tired."

"...We'll see about your performance in this test first."

With newfound purpose, Kagura steeled her nerves and picked up the heavy sword she had dropped earlier. With another ear-splitting wail, the buzzer proclaimed the start of her fiftieth test.

Countless armored knights shot out of slots within the chamber walls, their bodies animated and shielded by powerful magic. Raising their weapons, many of them charged at her, while others started preparing magical attacks from farther away.

Kagura activated her powers again, letting magic flow through her body as she parried and struck down the close-ranged enemies. These ones were significantly tougher than the ones she had faced before - their magic shields could take several spells or sword strikes, and their bodies required her to virtually hack them apart. While she went to town on her foes, she kept the mages in her peripheral vision.

The ranged dummies fired, sending a wave of magical ordnance hurtling towards her. Kagura produced a hexagonal barrier to deflect the shots, but let her guard down enough for another one to grab her. Tackling her to the ground, Kagura yelped in pain as the dummies started piling on top of her, their weapons crackling with sparks that would shock her into incapacitation. At the sight, the trainer winced, while her parents looked on in concern.

However, Kagura wasn't out just yet. Several bright flashes later, and Kagura had impaled several of the dummies, before blasting her way out of the pile in a fiery explosion. Raising her blade, which became wreathed in lightning at her command, Kagura let loose a crackling surge that fried many of her attackers on the spot. Blocking the next wave of magical blasts, Kagura summoned countless golden meteors to blast apart the enemies from range. All of the close-ranged dummies were gradually blown apart, and the mages soon followed - despite having magical deflector shields, Kagura's powerful magic battered at them until they yielded.

After that burst, Kagura nearly collapsed, using her sword to brace herself. The final enemy stood before her - a hulking brute of animated armor, wielding no weapons except its heavy fists. As it hauled back and swung, Kagura dodged - noticing that her movements had become sluggish due to fatigue. Firing off flare after magical flare, Kagura felt her strength waning more by the second - yet she was also desperately watching the timer on the test tick down.

As its form began crumbling from the princess' furious assault, the goliath tensed up and lashed out with its fists again. Kagura tried to block the strike, but she no longer had the strength to - the blow knocking her sword out of her hands. Kagura was barely able to manage a gasp before her foe struck her in the stomach, sending her tumbling across the ground. Barely able to stand, she watched as the brute barreled towards her - and felt her heart tighten as the buzzer signalled that her time was up.

With a final burst of despairing fury, Kagura summoned the remnants of her power and ducked underneath her foe's next strike. Thrusting her hand into its chest, she channeled all the power she could muster into its damaged form, the energy surge causing it to glimmer and finally burst.

Her strength totally drained, Kagura collapsed on the ground, unable to so much as walk. Amidst shallow breaths, the young princess looked up at her parents with a pitiful gaze, trying to reach out towards them. Her heart secretly wished that they would consider this setback minor and give her the hug she wanted - but any form of reassurance would be nice at this point.

However, Gustav and Aika simply turned around and walked away. "You're doing well, but there's still much room for improvement. Try harder next time."

And with that, they were gone.

Kagura lasted about five seconds before curling up on the ground and wailing, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of warm tears springing from her eyes and trickling down her cheeks. She didn't cry often - she had been constantly told not to - but her ability to fully suppress her emotions wasn't completely trained yet.

_Why? Did I disappoint them? I thought I did pretty well...but they didn't seem satisfied. Am I not even good enough for their affection? What am I doing wrong?_

"There, there." the tester said, helping Kagura to her feet and drying her tears with a handkerchief. "None of that now, princess. I understand that you're upset, but it would be humiliating for the others to see you in such an unsightly state."

Kagura nodded at the tester's words, even though she could easily tell they were somewhat hollow. Silently, she composed herself and steadied her posture, before walking towards the chamber's exit. Her emotions could wait for another time - but now, she had to be Kagura, the prodigal princess of the Lucian Kingdom.

_Elsewhere…_

"Give it back!"

Kagami reached out futilely as the children ran from her, sniggering. Clutched in their hands was her blanket - merely a patchwork cloth, but also her only shield against the cold. She had received it from the orphanage, which was distributing blankets to protect its inhabitants from the cold, but some other kids had the idea to steal Kagami's for their own use.

They wouldn't give it back, that was for sure. Trying to retrieve it by force was out of the question - she probably couldn't even overpower some of her juniors. Neither did she expect the people at the orphanage to give her another one - if anything, they would chew her out for "losing" their blanket. Normally, she wouldn't care - she was used to having less than others - but now, she _really_ needed the blanket to warm herself up in these wintry times.

Kagami had a love-hate relationship with winter. On one hand, she loved snow and the scenery it brought - especially when she gazed down upon the world from her sanctuary, watching as the sunlight reflected off the ice-covered land and bathed the world in pure white light. During the clear, cold days when the sky was free of clouds, Kagami would often feel an irresistible urge to dance amidst the snow, watching her breath form clouds in the frigid air and trying to build tiny structures with the fallen snow. And during the silent nights when the only light was from the lanterns of the village and the celestial bodies above her, she loved wandering through the snow, breathing in the frigid air and letting the chill consume her body as her mind drifted off into a realm of philosophical musings.

On the other hand, it was really cold, and Kagami didn't have any winter clothes - winter clothing seemed to be a bit of a rarity in the town. And more often than not, it was also too wet to start fires with only what amounted to flint and steel. So, instead of spending her time at her sanctuary, she had to spend her time indoors, at the village orphanage - where she would inevitably become the subject of everyone's animosity.

The orphanage wasn't particularly well-insulated, so everyone in it had to rely on their limited supply of blankets and the few sources of heat to stay warm. However, Kagami wasn't so lucky - so, she had to find another way to avoid contracting hypothermia.

First, Kagami tried for an obvious solution that she doubted would work. Walking up to the nearest _other_ group of youth, who were sharing a blanket, she cleared her throat. "Um, would you mind sharing your blanket with me?"

The answer was instant and expected. "Don't you have your own? We're using this one!"

Sighing, Kagami backed off. Noticing that the fireplace and all of the lanterns were taken, she sat down and curled up, tucking her arms into her sleeves and hugging herself tightly. When that failed to warm her up, she started rubbing herself against the rough wooden walls of the building. It was mildly painful, but it was generating friction, and therefore heat.

While she did this, she put her hands together inside her tunic and started rubbing them furiously. Sure enough, this generated heat as well - which she proceeded to try and spread through her body as much as possible. Kagami was aware that she was attracting some unwelcome looks - but she didn't care.

However, with a start, she noticed that one of the nearby lanterns had freed up. Quickly getting to her feet, Kagami rushed over and pressed her hands against the scratched glass. The heat was more than a little painful, but Kagami sighed as she felt waves of warmth course through her body. She could almost feel her blood circulation speeding up again.

More people gradually flocked to the lantern, huddling around it and placing their hands on it to warm themselves. Kagami was getting pushed around, but she didn't mind. In fact, she was even warmer - the bodies jostling around her and the hands on top of her own were further insulating her against the cold.

Of course, her good fortune only lasted so long. Eventually, as more people started crowding around the lantern, they started pushing against each other. And regardless of whether it was intentional or not, the first person to lose their grasp on the lantern was the smallest, weakest person in the group.

The second she was ejected from the cluster of bodies, Kagami felt the pervasive chill start creeping into her body again. Noticing a line growing at the front of the building, she walked over while breathing on her hands in an attempt to preserve her warmth. Once she arrived, she was both delighted and dismayed - delighted because someone was serving hot tea, dismayed because there was a lengthy lineup.

Regardless, Kagami got in line. If there was a small chance at getting some more warmth, she needed to seize it.

However, to her utter surprise, she managed to snag a small paper cup of tea. She had gotten the last of the hot drink, so her cup was disappointingly empty - but she decided to count her blessings and gratefully accept it.

She glanced at the clock. 11:33 AM...she had agreed to meet Kagura at 12. However, the princess had gotten worried that someone might get suspicious if they kept meeting up at the same location, so she had requested that Kagami meet her at a spot a bit farther away. However, that also meant that Kagami would have to brave the unforgiving cold to get there...Kagura had been hesitant on that part, but Kagami had insisted that it would be fine. For her only friend, she was willing to do anything.

So, with the cup of steaming tea clutched in her hands, she opened the orphanage door. Instantly, the chilling wind struck her in the face and clawed at her, causing her to wince. From behind her, she heard an angry yell. "What are you doing? Close the door already - you'll let the cold in!" 

Silently complying, Kagami stepped outside and closed the door behind her. Now that she was no longer sheltered by the orphanage, the cold bit into her like a thousand frozen razor blades. Even though she had already layered her spare clothing on top of her regular set, it was doing just about nothing to stave off the cold.

As she felt the frigid cold scorch her skin, Kagami hugged herself tightly and started trudging through the snow. The warm tea she carried was her lifeline - she had to use it sparingly, unless she wanted to collapse on her way to her friend.

The snow and wind only intensified as Kagami powered towards her destination. Walking out of the town and down a winding path - or at least where it should have been under the thick layer of snow - she shivered as her full-body pain descended into total numbness. Every once in a while, she would take a sip of her tea to warm herself up, but even that was growing cold at an alarming rate.

Another chilling wind blew across the white land, each snowflake like a bullet against her skin. Gritting her teeth, Kagami shivered as she continued her journey. _Why did a blizzard have to hit now of all times?_

Moving became more difficult by the second. Not only was the snow now up to her thighs, Kagami felt like every joint in her body was locking up. If she collapsed now, she might actually freeze and die - and then what would poor Kagura think?

As if to spite her further, the snowstorm intensified. Sleet poured down from the sky in sheets, physically battering Kagami with waves of ice and freezing rain. Her clothes were getting soaked and threatening to freeze, and she could feel the weight of all the buildup crushing her.

Her walking slowed to two paces per second. Then, one pace per second. As a group of bundled travellers walked past her, Kagami reached out to them for help. Despite this having never worked in the past, Kagami couldn't bring herself to stop trying. However, as expected, they just kept walking, their eyes passing over her as if she was an unremarkable object blending into the snowy landscape around them, rather than a sickly child on the verge of freezing to death.

Kagami's advance ground to a halt as her knees gave way, burying her almost up to her neck in snow. Her cup of tea - no longer even warm - splashed to the ground as she took deep, shaky breaths, frail clouds of vapor rising in front of her face. Just as she was about to resign herself to death by hypothermia, she glimpsed a golden glow in the corner of her whitening vision - and accompanying it, the reassuring sound of a familiar voice.

"K-Kagami? Oh, it is you...hold on! I'm coming!"

The moment that the snowstorm had hit, Kagura had immediately feared for her friend's safety. Not wanting Kagami to have to brave the snowstorm, she had left their meeting spot to find her - either to help her get there, or to call off their meeting. She had been unsure of how to achieve that without alerting the townsfolk - but she had found out that Kagami had been willing to go to _her_ despite the blizzard.

However, the condition of her friend made the princess want to start crying on the spot. She was a pathetic mess of a human being, nearly frozen solid and clearly on death's door. Kagura was insulated by her magical powers and the thick coat she had taken with her, but Kagami had no visible way of warding off the cold outside of her layers of thin clothing. The fact that Kagami had ventured all this way to meet her touched her.

At the sight of her friend, Kagami managed a weak smile. The fact that Kagura had come for her warmed her heart. However, right now, her heart wasn't the only thing that needed warming.

"O-Oh no!" Kagura stammered, feeling Kagami's body and flinching at how solid her clothing was. "I...uh, what should I do? Can I just...um…"

Raising her hands, a warm golden light enveloped her friend, eating away at the layers of frost binding her body. Kagami felt her blood start circulating again as Kagura's magic warded off the brutal cold.

"Is that better?" Kagura asked nervously.

Kagami nodded. "Yeah. Kagura...thanks for coming for me. I'd probably be a human popsicle by now if you hadn't shown up."

In response, the princess put two hands on her friend's shoulders. "Y-You big idiot...why did you do such a thing? You knew it was really unsafe...but you still went on! If you had died...I'd...I…I'm sorry for suggesting this. If I hadn't asked you to meet me farther away..."

"Yeah...I'm sorry too. I didn't know it'd get this bad." Kagami muttered. Looking at the mystical light around them, she tilted her head. "Is this your power?"

Kagura hesitated, then nodded. The air shimmered again, revealing that there was a silvery umbrella of sorts over her head, blocking the falling sheets of ice. "U-Um...I melted all the ice on you...but you're still soaked. Sorry...I'll try to dry you off."

"Don't apologize!" Kagami insisted. "You've done so much for me already!"

In response, Kagura examined her friend. "You must still be cold. I can give you my jacket...c'mere."

Before Kagami could object, Kagura took off the thick leather coat she was wearing and slung it over Kagami's back. Kneeling down and buttoning it up, she looked up at her bewildered friend. "There we go. That should be better!"

"W-What?" Kagami stammered, flustered. "I can't accept this…what about you?"

"Don't worry about me!." Kagura assured her. "My powers keep me warm...I guess it's something good that comes out of all that testing. You need this coat way more than I do...shame I'm not allowed to just give it to you."

Noticing that Kagura was kneeling in the snow, she raised a hand. "But Kagura, now your clothes are getting dirty."

Kagura just looked at her clothing. As per Kagami's observation, the thick snow was melting on contact with her magically-warmed body, staining her blouse with dirt and soaking her dress. "Uh...does it matter? If anything, it's a new experience for me. Getting your clothes dirty...it happens to kids that play a lot, right?"

Surprised that Kagura could spin something like that in a positive light, Kagami just nodded. She tried to stand up and walk, but her legs were shaking too much to even take a step.

Noticing this, Kagura caught her before she could fall into the snow again. "Y-You're tired! Just...take it easy!"

"I...can manage." Kagami gasped. She managed to take a step, but the snow was so deep that she essentially had to drag her legs through it.

Kagura frowned. "Please, just let me help you."

"What do you have in mind?"

Kagami got her answer when Kagura knelt down in front of her and grabbed her legs. With a quiet grunt of effort, she picked the smaller girl up and slung her over her back, piggyback-style. "I'll just carry you!"

"K-Kagura?" Kagami stuttered, shocked. "You-"

"Don't worry about it!" Kagura replied, beaming. "I'm not going to let you just struggle through the snow without helping, now am I? Besides, you're pretty light...uh, no offense."

The flustered Kagami didn't say another word. Registering this as her friend being satisfied, Kagura just readjusted her position and started her journey.

As Kagura's boots crunched through the knee-deep snow, Kagami tilted her head on her back. "...You sure you aren't getting tired? I'd hate to be a burden…"

Kagura just shook her head. "Again, you're really light. Dangerously light - I should maybe get you more stuff to eat. But you're not a burden on me at all...I had to carry way heavier things, after all."

"For your training?"

The princess nodded. "If I'm honest...I don't like it. I don't _hate_ it, but still. Every day, it's just constant training to make me a fighter - someone who will be impossible to stand up to, the teachers say. The idea scares me. If I become a peerless fighter...then I'll probably scare everyone, and my chances of being friendly with others will go down a whole lot. Why do I have to fight? Why can't I be taught to solve problems more peacefully?"

"Lucia's always been a kingdom priding themselves on power, so it makes sense...I get you, though." Kagami muttered. "Hey, but if it makes you feel better, I'll always be there for you - even if you become a peerless fighter, like you say. In fact, I'll just think you're even cooler!"

Kagura turned around. "R-Really?"

"Mhm!" Kagami nodded. "You became my friend, and that's how you'll stay! No matter if you're a princess, an invincible champion...even if you became an all-powerful god, I'd still accept you with open arms! You accepted me in a world where nobody would...so, it's only fair!"

Kagura's eyes widened. "A-A god? No, don't say such things."

Kagami laughed. "It's just a thought! But you said it yourself that you have an incredible potential for growth. If you actually became that powerful, I'd still accept you...would you still accept me?"

"...Yes. I swear on my life."

Before either of them could think about this any longer, Kagura arrived at a clearing with a small wooden bench in the center. On the bench was an assortment of uncooked foods - the likes of which Kagami had never seen outside of pictures - along with several pots and a gas-burning stove.

"What's all this for?" Kagami asked.

"Oh, I was suggested to get some experience cooking alone, so I just hauled a bunch of stuff over." Kagura said simply. "Ivan and Elise left me alone, but they're probably still watching in case I do something stupid. Now come on, do you want to help me make something? You surely have more experience cooking food than I do."

"I'd love to!" Kagami exclaimed. "I don't have any experience cooking such high-class meals, though…"

So, the two girls set up around the table and got to work. Fortunately, Kagami was still under the effects of Kagura's spell, so she didn't instantly freeze to death. And good thing, too - Kagura seemed extremely unaccustomed to cooking, so Kagami had to guide her friend through the ropes. Despite her claimed lack of experience, she had read a lot about preparing food in cookbooks.

"So, this is how you use a knife safely." Kagami explained. "I read it in a book. Curl your fingers so that you don't cut yourself."

Kagura followed, slicing up some vegetables. "O-Okay."

"Don't stab or whack the food. Knives cut when you slide them, so just press hard and slide it along."

Kagura sliced into a piece of meat. "Alright."

"For dicing, hold the knife like this. Move it like this. This way, all of your things will be diced up in no time."

Kagura finely diced up some more vegetables. "You're really good at this!"

Kagami laughed. "Don't mention it."

The young princess' eyes shone with wonder at her friend's competency. She was a fast learner - so, with Kagami's assistance, they had managed to piece together a piping beef stew. While the stew cooked, Kagura pulled out a bowl of rice. "They told me to try cooking this using magic, so I'm gonna give it a shot. Stand back!"

Kagami looked at it uncertainly. "Don't blow us up, please."

Kagura shrugged and poured some warm water into it. Then, the bowl became enveloped in a silvery aura as Kagura held it in the air with her powers. Snapping her fingers, the young princess lit a scarlet flame underneath the bowl, which expanded to engulf the whole vessel. Within minutes, the sound of boiling water and hissing steam filled the air as the rice cooked.

"You can just do that?" Kagami asked incredulously. "Why did you have to bring all of this equipment here, then?"

"It's all about experience." Kagura replied. "I can't rely on magic for everything."

"...Fair point."

Within due time, Kagura opened the top of the pot and nodded as she saw that the rice was cooked. Piling it onto two plates, she took a ladle and spooned the beef stew over the two plates. "Alright! Let's dig in!"

Kagami suddenly backed up hesitantly. "M-Me too? I could never eat such a rich meal..."

Kagura huffed. "K-Kagami, you helped make it! Of course you get some too! You're going to eat it together with me!" Mischievously, she added: "...Or else!" 

_Or else?_ Kagami thought. She knew that if she truly desired it - which was unlikely - Kagura could easily overpower her and force-feed her. "...Or else what?"

"Or else...I'm gonna do this!" Kagura yelled, suddenly raising her hands and lunging at Kagami. The blonde girl yelped as Kagura tackled her to the ground, effortlessly pinning her down. _What? What's Kagura doing?_

Whatever Kagami had imagined, what Kagura had in store was infinitely worse. The princess' fingers found her sides...and started tickling her incessantly.

"Waaah! S-Stop it!" Kagami cried, half screaming and half laughing as she desperately tried to squirm out of her captor's grasp. "K-Kagura, you're so cruel! This is a crime against humanity! Cut it out...cut it out!"

"Never!" Kagura laughed. "Not until you surrender!"

"I...I can't take much more!" Kagami laughed hysterically as they rolled around in the snow. "Fine! Fine! I'll eat some, just stop it!"

With a cheery sigh, Kagura released her victim from her grasp. "Kagami...I had no idea you were so ticklish! That's funny!"

"Hmph! I'm sure you're just as ticklish as me!" Kagami huffed, feigning indignance as she jabbed at Kagura's waist area.

Kagura flinched and yelped in alarm.

As a smile started growing on Kagami's face, Kagura's smile started to dissipate. "U-Um...no hard feelings?"

Kagami leapt at her, and this time it was Kagura's turn to beg for mercy as Kagami mercilessly tickled her back. Kagami knew that Kagura could have handily thrown her off, but she seemed unwilling to.

A minute of frantic rolling later, and both of them were lying in the snow exhausted. From the exuberant smiles on their faces, one would have never known that they were a miserable orphan and an illustrious princess. This was what they loved about playing together - Kagami didn't have to be hated, and Kagura didn't have to be dignified. They could just be themselves.

"Your clothes are soaked." Kagami noted. "Including your coat. The people at your place surely won't be pleased."

Kagura's regal clothing was indeed as wet as a washing-rag and covered in mud, but the princess just shrugged. "That's an experience too. I'll explain it."

"Looks like you two are having fun." Ivan's voice called as he entered the area, Elise in tow. "And you made food, too."

Kagura got up, helping her friend up as well. "Mhm. Kagami walked me through it as well. She's super skilled."

Elise looked at the meal in astonishment. "Kagami, you helped make all of this? The princess isn't too experienced with cooking, so I'm guessing you did a lot of it."

Kagura smiled. "She did!"

The knight gave Kagami a look of approval. "That's impressive. You're clearly quite skilled at this."

"I…I..." Kagami stammered, not used to positive feedback. "Thank you..."

However, another thought passed her mind. They had called her by her name. For most of her time with Kagura up until now, Ivan and Elise had never referred to her by name - it was always _girl,_ or _child,_ or some other vague descriptor. But recently, they had actually started calling her by her real name. A good sign, probably?

Without further ado, both of them sat down and dug in. Every time Kagami thought that Kagura had brought her divinity in food form, she managed to surpass herself in short order. The rice was fluffy and fragrant, and the stew...it was so rich, so flavorful, that Kagami thought that it surely had to be illegal. Kagami legitimately wanted to cry tears of joy, but held back a little bit.

After making _absolutely_ sure that she was allowed, Kagami hungrily wolfed down her meal. On the contrary, Kagura didn't seem very hungry, merely picking at her food.

"That's no way to be, princess." Ivan chided. "If you don't eat, you're going to stay short forever. Surely you don't want that, right?"

That appeared to hit a nerve. Kagura flushed pink and huffed indignantly. "Hey! I already do eat a lot! It's not my fault I'm not getting taller!"

Kagami looked at her curiously. "Huh?"

"Everyone at the court is so much taller than me!" Kagura complained. "I get that the adults should be, but all of the civilian kids my age are still taller! It's so stupid! One day I'll grow taller than all of them, I guarantee it!"

Kagami tilted her head. "I see how it is. If it makes you feel better, you're way taller than I am."

Kagura stood up, and her friend did the same - clearly showing that Kagura was more than a head taller than her commoner friend. "Er...I guess, but you can at least go for the small and cute image! I can't do that, I'm being trained to be a leader!"

"Small and cute?" Kagami repeated incredulously. "Are you saying I'm-"

"Mhm!" Kagura said as if it were obvious, picking up Kagami and hugging her like a stuffed animal. "Right now, you're very tiny and huggable. It's adorable!"

Kagami was too flustered at the praise to even react.

Putting her stunned friend back down, Kagura raised her spoon and polished off the rest of her meal. "If I stay short, I'd very much like to be like that. Unfortunately, I can't. So I'm gonna grow taller than all the other kids! Just you wait!"

Once their meal was finished, Kagura packed some leftovers into a box and gave it to Kagami, despite the latter's protests. Then, she magically cleaned all their dishes, to Kagami's utter astonishment. Once they had finished packing up, the two children started playing in the snow with carefree abandon - building snowmen, tunnelling through the snow, and even pelting each other with snowballs.

Ivan and Elise silently watched them for a bit, but eventually couldn't help but join in the fun. They knew they'd be punished if they were caught slacking off like this, but at this point they didn't really care. The royals didn't seem to realize how important it was for children to have fun in order for them to grow up well. Needless to say, Kagami and Kagura welcomed the newcomers into their play session.

By the time both of them were tired and wet enough to stop, the sky was already turning dark. After making sure that Kagami could _definitely_ make it back home by herself, Kagura reclaimed her coat and set off with her retainers, giving her friend a jovial wave as she walked away. Kagami smiled, waved back, and set off towards the village again, the night gradually filling her mind with philosophical musings once more.

"That Kagami sure is turning out to be interesting, huh?" Elise muttered. "Despite her status, she's very talented and just as kind. Maybe she's even kinder than some of the nobles..."

Ivan snorted. "Elise, she might be a commoner, but give her the benefit of the doubt - she is _definitely_ kinder than most of the nobles. A disturbing percent of them consist of stuck-up snobs that I would rather not associate myself with. If anything, I'm grateful Kagura here befriended her rather than some of the people back home, status be damned."

Kagura nodded. "I have everything, and Kagami has nothing - but Kagami still tries to give me as much as she can. It warms my heart more than anything else."

The two knights nodded. "We're just glad you're happy."

_Two years after the meeting. Kagami and Kagura: age 8._

Kagura paced around her room, watching the magical projection of herself diligently leaf through her various history books. She had recreated the projection down to the finest detail, and it would hopefully be indistinguishable from her real self.

Once she had ensured that it would keep running without her needing to do anything, Kagura walked in front of her mirror and cast another spell on herself. Her vision warped slightly, and her image in the mirror gradually vanished.

Nodding contentedly, Kagura stretched a bit before walking up to her doorway. _Everything's ready._

Deciding to try something risky, she concentrated on her door, imagining the space behind it. Then, she closed her eyes and used the warping magic she had recently learned - silently teleporting to the other side of the door and narrowly missing the guard stationed outside her room.

Kagura withheld a gasp of surprise. She had already prepared an excuse if she botched her spell and the guard caught her, so she wasn't really expecting it to work so easily. Looking both ways, she took off running as quietly as she could once she saw the coast was clear.

After witnessing Kagura spending a majority of her time playing outside of the castle grounds, the royals of the Lucian court had begun to worry that this would affect her studies and training. Unwilling to allow the future ruler of the kingdom shirk her duties for wanton enjoyment, they had essentially grounded her until they figured out a better solution. However, Kagura wasn't going to take that sitting down - they taught her how to use all this magic, so she would give them a show of just how much she'd learned. The fact that she had to stealthily sneak out of what was supposed to be her own home filled Kagura with dismay, but what could you do.

As a pair of guards walked down the hallway, Kagura flattened herself against a wall and held her breath until they passed. Even with invisibility, she still hadn't mastered maintaining simultaneous spells that would allow her to effectively cut herself off from all human senses. She could still be heard or felt if she wasn't careful.

Tiptoeing down the halls, Kagura navigated around several more guards. Sneaking through rooms adorned with golden finery and gigantic murals, she avoided any carpets she could as she moved. Being the spirited child she was, she had explored the castle enough to know the place down inside and out. Soon she was out of the castle, squinting at the harsh sunlight.

Kagura dashed through the gardens and courtyards, stopping for a bit to watch some young soldiers-in-training practicing under the orders of a knight commander. She felt happy watching all these youth practicing so diligently, but at the same time she felt a little bit of disbelief - especially as she saw that some of the kids were even younger than she was. Was the kingdom really in such a fragile state that they needed to train these kids to fight so early in their lives?

However, she paid it little heed. Confirming that her cloaking field also accounted for her shadow, she tiptoed past the trainees and towards the castle gates. Her mind started collecting all of her recent experiences - trying to make them as exciting as possible, so that she could tell them to Kagami as if they were grand tales. _Oh, I wonder how happy she'll be to hear how much I've grown!_

However, her mind proved unable to handle her two tasks at once, and she ran headlong into a patrolling guard.

"H-Hey!" the man yelled, raising his pike. "What was that? I just got shoved for no reason!"

His companion tilted her head. "I saw that too...but there's nothing here. What's up?"

Kagura held back a strangled gasp and froze up. Raising her foot, she took a single step in the opposite direction as the knights began blindly grasping at their surroundings. The female knight nearly snagged her hair, but Kagura managed to bend her body in an admittedly-painful position to avoid her hand. Noticing that she was on the verge of losing balance, Kagura's heartbeat accelerated as the knights closed in on her position. However, noticing several pebbles on the ground, she silently used magic to snap them together, drawing their attention away from her. While the two of them turned towards the source, Kagura regained her balance, before getting to her feet and making a run for it.

"...I don't know. If there was something invisible here, it's gone now." the knight sighed. "Jeez, that sure was odd…"

Her cohort frowned. "I feel like we missed something. What if it's someone trying to sneak into the castle? Invisibility magic isn't too uncommon."

"Eh, what for? We've got lots of guards, and everyone can defend themselves. Even the young princess isn't someone you'd want to mess with."

"…What if the princess is the one trying to sneak out instead?"

The armored woman frowned. "...Then so be it. She's a kid, after all. And kids deserve some time to mess around. Oh, to be young again…" 

Kagura panted as she invisibly ran through the winding paths of Lucia, skirting along the borders of towns and using her flight magic whenever possible. Escaping the castle had been surprisingly easy, despite her bout of incompetence with those guards. Now, if she stayed invisible, there was nothing standing between her and her friend.

With her varied magic and physical fitness, Kagura didn't take too long getting to their usual meeting spot. About an hour later, she arrived at what Kagami liked to call her sanctuary and dispelled her invisibility. "K-Kagami? Are you here?"

Hearing no response, Kagura hesitantly advanced into the forested clearing. To her relief, she found that Kagami was just snoozing on her hammock. "O-Oh! You're here! And you're sleeping..." _Should I wake her up?_

The princess ran over to her and reached out to nudge her friend awake. However, the second she touched her arm, Kagami violently jerked in her sleep. As Kagura retraced her hand in surprise, Kagami started murmuring to herself and shifting a little.

Kagura supposed that people sometimes did odd things in their sleep...but Kagami's body language was a little unsettling. Her sleeping face was contorted in a grimace, she kept hugging herself, and she occasionally reached out in front of her as if to idly swat some invisible insect.

With a start, Kagura realized that Kagami's face was covered in bruises for some reason. As the commoner girl started mumbling again, tears started springing from her closed eyes. If Kagura listened closely, she could make out what sounded like desperate pleas. 

All of a sudden, Kagami shivered and screamed out loud. "Don't leave! Please! I beg you...it's all I ask for..."

At this moment, Kagura decided she had had enough. Grabbing Kagami, she pulled the smaller girl towards her and hugged her tightly. "Wake up! I-It's going to be okay! I promise!"

Two sapphire gemstones snapped open as Kagami was violently shaken from her slumber. "W-Wha? Who...Kagura? What are you doing here?"

"Ah…I snuck out of the castle." the princess sheepishly admitted. "I'm basically grounded right now, but I still wanted to see you."

In response, a tear traced its way down Kagami's cheek. "Thank goodness. You're not really gone."

"Gone?" Kagura repeated. "Why would I be gone? What in the world were you dreaming of?"

Kagami was silent. She had been stuck in a grey space, immobilized by some indomitable pressure acting on her body. And in front of her, Kagura had been standing idly. Kagami had called out to her, but the princess didn't seem to recognize the sound of her voice.

It hadn't been long before mysterious silhouettes had emerged from the shadows to take the princess away. Kagami had strained against the power holding her still, but she had been powerless to do anything but scream and cry as they took Kagura away. The final nail in the coffin was when Kagura had turned back, only to shoot Kagami a look of disdain - and that alone had crushed her heart like it was a snowflake in a vice.

However, Kagami didn't say any of this. If she did, her friend would most definitely freak out - and she'd rather not have Kagura freak out. "It...was nothing. But...I'm honored you'd sneak out and visit me like this."

The look on Kagura's face made it obvious that she wasn't buying it, but she nodded regardless. "I got lonely. Even now, nobody wants to play with me, or treat me like a normal kid. I have to act proper, dignified, like I'm somehow above everyone. I don't want to be above everyone! But here...I can be a normal girl. You're my friend..."

Kagami sighed. "Can't catch a break back at home, huh? Well, as long as you're here with me, I'm glad that I'm making you happy. If I can make someone happy...that's the most value my life will ever have."

Kagura frowned. "That can't be true. You have so much to look forward to,"

As Kagami fell silent, the Lucian princess remembered something. "Kagami, what's with those bruises on your face? Did you get hurt?"

"Oh...these are nothing." Kagami replied offhandedly. "I have to go to school, right? Well, I get into a lot of trouble in school...but it's really not my fault. I just do things that are normal, and people become aggressive because of it. I'm not just going to let people steal my lunch...there was no need for them to get so violent. I really got roughed up there...but at least it was better than most of the time?"

What she didn't want to admit was that the increasingly frequent injuries she had been getting were because Kagura had given her hope for friendship. As of late, she had gotten far bolder at school, trying to play with the other kids and make more friends. However, all her efforts had been in vain. They were coldly indifferent at best, and violently hostile at worst. Her constant attempts for friendship had been met with a far fiercer amount of resistance than when she had tried to fade into the background. But if she told Kagura that, she'd definitely blame herself - so Kagami kept silent.

"That's horrible!" Kagura gasped. She had no experience in school, having been taught by private tutors all her life, and she was in disbelief that her best friend had been subjected to such brutality in a place made for education. "School can't be like that! It's not normal! Something must be up!"

"It's not normal...because I'm not normal. Why...did I have to be born this way?" Kagami mumbled, feeling bitter despair digging into her heart. "Not only does everyone hate me...but I'm too weak to even defend myself. Even after constantly training myself...I still can't even stand up to some schoolyard bullies. It's so pathetic...how will I stand up to the rest of the world like this?"

In her attempt to resist the urge to cry, Kagura blurted out a stupid response. "Kagami, I'll just go to school and defend you! Those mean people won't stand a chance!"

Kagami just stared at her blankly. "...What?"

Kagura blushed violently and covered her mouth at her own display of brazen idiocy. "I-It's...um...uh, I don't know what I was saying. S-Sorry. I'll just mend your wounds...or something."

"...The offer was appreciated, though. And thanks for healing me."

Fortunately, it didn't take Kagami long to snap out of her funk. After sharing some experiences with each other - both happy and sad - the two children decided to play a game of tag.

Playing tag in the forest was an experience, to say the least. Under normal circumstances, Kagura's immensely greater physical prowess should have made the game one-sided. However, Kagami knew the area far better than the princess, and she was clever enough to use it to her advantage. Kagami still lost by a huge margin, of course - Kagura had to let her tag her at some points - but it wasn't as one-sided as one would have thought.

Before long, both of them were sitting by the cliff's edge once again, exhausted. As Kagami smiled giddily, Kagura leaned back and picked up the bag she had brought with her, having left it by a tree for their game. "Oh, I almost forgot. That flower you were growing...you said it looked like it was dying, right?"

"Mhm. It's kind of...wilting, I guess? I dunno if it's actually dying or anything."

Kagura smiled. "Well, I brought a flower from my home! If I plant it beside your dying flower, maybe it can use my flower as support!"

Kagami was touched, but a little confused. "Eh? Wait, if you put a second flower next to it, doesn't it mean they'll be competing for resources?"

"I…" Kagura stammered. Clearly she hadn't thought that far.

The commoner girl sighed. "It doesn't matter. Since you went to the effort of getting a flower over here, I'll plant it anyways. Maybe they really will help each other grow."

So, as Kagura dozed off against a tree, Kagami dug a little hole beside her wilting purple flower and planted Kagura's in it. She didn't know what kind of plant it was, but Kagura had clearly made a good choice - the pale white flower smelled like sugar, and seemed to shimmer when the light hit it right.

However, Kagura seemed to be having a restless sleep. She kept tossing and turning, while making sounds of vague discomfort. It was clear that Kagura was having a bad time, so Kagami wanted to help her. So, she sidled up to the sleeping Kagura and, with a slightly trembling hand, started patting her on the head.

Was it odd, that she was treating the future ruler of the kingdom this way? Maybe. After all, this is how one would treat a child, not a princess. But Kagura _was_ a child - besides, she had shown Kagami kindness whenever she was in trouble, so it was obvious that Kagami needed to reciprocate that very kindness.

By the time Kagura woke up, the sun was already setting. The princess was a little confused as to why she was being patted on the head by Kagami, and the commoner girl had gotten flustered and tried to explain her way out of it when asked. Kagura didn't mind, though - it had actually been comforting.

What she didn't tell Kagami was that she had also just experienced a nightmare. She dreamed that she had been literally on top of the world - atop a towering mountain brushing the edge of space, on the balcony of a castle brimming with servants and unimaginable wealth. Yet her servants were quite literally machines - the only living things were at the foot of the mountain, bustling cities whose citizens she could barely make out from her vantage point. As she squinted to try and watch the civilians, she despaired when she sensed that while some looked up at the mountain, its palace, and its majesty, none were trying to look at her. Except for three - Ivan and Elise, her retainers, were trying to climb the mountain, but were constantly dragged back down by a group of faceless creatures. Meanwhile Kagami stood at the base of the mountain, staring longingly - her gaze somehow fixated specifically on Kagura herself.

Kagura had reached out for them, but suddenly the iota-sized civilizations _really were_ as small as they looked - and were right before her. In a single motion, she accidentally swept aside the cities like dust as countless people were wiped from the world. Terrified, she had reached out to Kagami in desperation - only to annihilate her friend with a simple touch.

She was scared. That dream had seemed symbolic of what she could become in the future - an all-powerful, all-important figure admired for her status, not as a person. The prospect terrified her, yet she wasn't sure what she wanted to do about it. She _did_ still want to serve her kingdom...but surely, it didn't mean losing her connection to everyone, right? She was especially terrified of the last part - the idea of her becoming so powerful that her attempts at interaction would cause destruction was unnerving.

The young princess didn't tell Kagami about it, though. Kagami clearly had enough to worry about. Noticing the time, she decided it was high time she returned to the castle before her simulacrum made a mistake and she was found out.

Kagami waved and said her farewells as the princess faded back into invisibility and dashed away. Then, gathering some water in a small canteen, she watered her new flower and thought about what she could eat that night.

_Five years after the meeting. Kagami and Kagura: age 11._

The spotlights shone down on the Lucian princess like laser beams. Hundreds of people were seated before her, their eyes totally fixated on her. Yet her breathing was level, and her mind unclouded.

The first few notes of her accompaniment rang out through the theatre. Raising her instrument, Kagura began to play.

Every note was perfect. Every sound wave that came from the intricately made string instrument was filled with emotion. The entire audience was held in stasis as her playing stunned them, every life in the theatre transfixed with awe. This was a performance that, to them, rivaled that of the divine.

But the princess felt nothing. All the emotion in her sound waves was merely a well-fabricated ruse. At the urging of her parents and the nobles, she had practiced day and night for the concert. Until every note was perfect, until every mistake had been snuffed out. Now, as she played, her song came as easily as breathing. And just like breathing, it was an ephemeral experience that she didn't even feel.

Yet even now, she was aware of something contained within her. A flickering soul yearning for release, yet contained within the layers of dignity and diligence burying her. There had been a time when this soul had always been exposed - but years of constant responsibility and pressure had forced it deeper within her heart. Combined with a lack of heartfelt care for her personal well-being, her will to dutifully serve her home had been warped into a dignified, nearly robotic persona in order to cope with her expectations.

As the song ended, the theatre erupted into applause that threatened to bring the ornate building down on their heads. Holding her instrument in its resting position, Kagura faced the faceless masses, their praise little but noise. In a fluid motion, she bowed - a well-rehearsed bow, exuding the nobility and grace befitting of a Lucian princess.

Perhaps a part of her wanted to smile. Perhaps she wanted the audience to witness her other face and laugh by her side. But that was no longer possible. Her face was now that of the kingdom - and lest she forsake her duty, she had to act like it.

So, she smiled.

_Meanwhile, in Stonewell..._

Kagami panted, the heavy weight on her back threatening to crush her. She was really wondering if she should have taken so many bricks with her, but she really wanted to get this job done quickly.

Taking one unsteady step at a time, she hauled the sack of bricks to her destination - the base of a ladder propped up against a new market that was being built in town. Sloughing the heavy load off her shoulders, she opened the bag and looked at the nearest villager directing the effort. "I'm here."

"Obviously, you are." the man grunted. "Alright, take these bricks and build up that wall in front of you. There should be some cement you can use to stick 'em together. Go on, get to it."

Kagami nodded, taking the heavy cement pail in one hand and climbing the ladder. Applying a layer to the top bricks, she put it by the side before grabbing as many bricks as she could carry and climbing up again.

This repeated several times. However, as she climbed the ladder to place the last few bricks, another worker ran by and bumped into her ladder. As it fell over, Kagami lost her balance and fell to the ground, her bricks clattering around her. To add insult to injury, the ladder itself fell onto her right afterwards.

"Jeez, kid, be a little more careful." her supervisor muttered, reading from a scroll depicting the plans for the building. "Come on, you've just got a few more left."

Kagami wanted to complain that it wasn't even her fault, but she had long since gotten tired of trying to prove her point. The person that had knocked over her ladder had run off without even acknowledging their actions. So, she just sighed, pushed the ladder off of her, and repositioned it before finishing her job.

"Well, it took a while, but you did what I asked you to." her supervisor sighed, pressing a small handful of coins into her dusty hands. "Here you go."

Kagami bowed her head slightly and walked back towards the center of the village. Immediately, her eyes flitted around the town, looking for anything that needed help. She had already been working for the whole day, but it wasn't enough. She needed more.

As if on cue, raindrops started falling from the clouded skies above. At first it was a steady drip, which escalated into a veritable downpour mere minutes later. She managed to find shelter under a nearby vendor's stand, but her search didn't let up - rain or shine, she still had every intention of finding some way to help the village.

_What am I doing?_

The change in Kagami's heart hadn't been instant, but it had been sudden. Well, Kagura had been showing up less and less frequently, and she had been getting increasingly distant as of late. The last time Kagura had showed up was a few months ago. But it wasn't exactly that either.

In truth, with her friend's encouragement, Kagami had started searching for something valuable - a purpose in life. She had been so focused on merely surviving the hostile world that she hadn't actually given any thought to what she actually wanted to do. So, she had tried out a wider variety of jobs around town to see what she was good at. Unfortunately, her lack of physical strength meant a lot of manual labor was out of the question, but she found that she fared far better at jobs involving dexterity.

However, most of the villagers scoffed at her aspirations. Even if she grew up and found her calling, she'd probably just be able to do random jobs around the town for a living. Even if she found her way to other settlements, they'd probably just put her to work as manual labor, as lower-class citizens were. _You won't achieve anything magnificent,_ they said. _This is your place in the world, as it is ours._

The worst part was that she knew they were right. Advancing to a higher class than the one you were born in was unheard of - one always needed someone of a higher class to give them a lift, so to speak. In such a strictly divided kingdom, advancement was just about impossible - especially for someone like Kagami, who was already hated by everyone on top of being at the bottom of the proverbial food chain. She supposed she had one more option - to leave Lucia altogether. But not only was leaving Lucia and going on a journey prohibitively expensive, she had no faith that the people outside the kingdom's wall would treat her any better.

So what could she do? A combination of her own self-doubt and the scathing criticism of her neighbors eroded Kagami's dreams. And at one point, she had snapped. If she couldn't go anywhere in life...if she truly had no future, then she could at the very least offer herself to the people around her. They had done nothing for her, but they were still people with needs. If she helped them, even if she couldn't make them happy, she could help fulfil their needs and make their lives easier. And if she managed to improve the lives of other people, her life would have actual value.

Thus began an almost feverish desire to help others. She had given up on being on good terms with anyone besides her one friend, and decided to just take any jobs she could physically and mentally manage. All of her spare time was taken up by her task, to the point where she was permanently exhausted - but her own well-being was now in the back of her mind. She desperately wanted her life to have value - and if her value was measured by how much she helped people, so be it.

Her boots splashing through the mud, Kagami braved the downpour to run to her new target - a family trying to move barrels indoors to protect their contents from the rain. As she stopped in front of them - nearly slipping - she gave them a smile.

"Do you need help?"

A little over an hour later, and Kagami had deemed herself too tired to take any more tasks. Trudging through the mud and rain - which thankfully seemed to be letting up a bit - she headed to her sanctuary to rest and recuperate. She had just bought a tarp-like structure and built a makeshift rain shelter out of it, so she at least had a dry place to sit down and rest her aching body.

However, to her bewilderment, someone was waiting for her.

"K-Kagura?" Kagami breathed. "You...finally came again. I was scared you had forgotten me..."

However, when Kagami tried to reach out and embrace her, Kagura raised a hand to stop her. "There is no need for that."

"H-Huh? Are you not in the mood? You usually hug me first..."

The princess stared at her, and Kagami knew from a glance that this wasn't the usual Kagura. What had happened to the earnest glow in her golden eyes? It was like they were now made of metal rather than sunlight.

"I should not be here." Kagura muttered. "I was allowed a break after performing for the people of Zenith, and felt compelled to visit this place again. My friend, if you have any needs, voice them now. I have duties to attend to when I return."

Kagami shook her head. "What I need is for you to start acting normal again. What's with all this formality? Is being the princess that harsh on you?"

Kagura flinched, and Kagami knew she had hit a weak point. "I am not having any troubles. I meet all responsibilities and obligations excellently. I have...perfected everything that has been given to me. I am the princess of Lucia that everyone wants to see."

"Okay, then. If you're that capable, then show me the Kagura I know."

The princess shook her head. "I cannot allow that. She interferes with my responsibilities. I cannot be the ideal ruler if she is here."

Kagami resisted the urge to grab and shake her. "Well, for this moment, your responsibilities are gone. You said you were on break, right? Then relax, and show me the side you've shown me for the last five years!"

Kagura sighed, closed her eyes, and with apparent difficulty, reopened them. Suddenly, life seemed to return to her countenance. "K-Kagami? Ah...I'm sorry."

The commoner tackled her friend in a hug. "Oh, thank goodness you're back."

"Ehehehe…" Kagura giggled, returning the gesture and patting her shorter friend on the head. "I'm back for a bit. I can enjoy myself a little now."

In response, Kagami frowned. "Why are there two sides of you now?"

Kagura avoided her gaze and shuffled nervously. "Uh...I don't know. It just...happened, I guess? Everyone expects so much from me now...I guess a part of me that wants to satisfy all of their expectations split off from me. But everyone is still so cold...now that I'm older, even Ivan and Elise are being ordered to keep their distance. I want to satisfy people, but...not being loved hurts so much. I don't know how you can survive it, but I'm nowhere near as strong as you."

"Don't say that."

"...But that split part of me doesn't feel pain." Kagura went on, almost dreamily. "They're super efficient. They listen to directions and fulfil their duties perfectly. The me that wants to be free and happy hurts me more than it helps me up there. So...I guess I just let the responsible me take the wheel most of the time? It's helped a lot."

Kagami's heart tightened at the sound of her dear friend's troubles. "That's not healthy, though! You can't just...split yourself like that! I don't know how you can bear to live like this..."

Kagura sighed. "I know my desire to be a dutiful princess is true. I feel it from the bottom of my heart. But I also want to be free and happy! Even if it's for a little bit of my life, I want to be a normal girl with lots of friends, having fun together! But...but...I can't. I'm sorry for being greedy, but why can't I have both?"

"Your folks up there don't understand you at all. Hell, they don't understand people, period." Kagami borderline spat. "I can't help you at all, being a commoner. Seeing you having to suffer from all of this hurts."

"But you understand me…" Kagura offered. "You can talk to me. And that's all I need. You're not cold. You're warm."

Kagami smiled a little at this. "If you really think so...well, thanks. It's an honor."

She headed over to her hammock and sat down, eying the flowers she had been growing. "That flower you gave me a few years back...it really ended up helping just as you said. They even grow back together every year."

"Is that so?" Kagura chuckled. "I'm glad I could help. They're really pretty."

Sure enough, the white flower Kagura had given Kagami had indeed provided the support needed for Kagami's own flower to flourish again. The two of them had grown intertwined, using each other as support, and were basically a single plant now. Two flowers that would have wilted individually, but grew tall with each other's help...Kagami thought it seemed symbolic, somehow, but she probably needed to give that a little more thought.

However, as Kagami winced from the movement of trying to touch the flowers, Kagura frowned. "Kagami, I sense your pain. You hurt yourself again, didn't you?"

"...Nah. I'm just tired. I've been working for a while."

Kagura winced. "Every time I meet you, you push yourself harder. Please, just relax."

Kagami kicked at the muddy ground. "I can't exactly do that, can I? I need to help more people. I need to make everyone's lives better, even if that means offering my own life."

"Well, I think what you need is to take a break. No good is going to come out of you pushing yourself too hard like this."

The villager shook her head. "Nah. This is me using my life the right way. Me being who I am, I've got little hope of going far in life. So if I can't use it, maybe others can. If I can give my life to improve the lives of other people...that's the most worth it'll ever have."

Kagura frowned. "T-That can't be true. You have so much to look forward to-"

"Yeah, no." Kagami shot back bitterly, recoiling at her own harsh tone. "I'm a commoner, and one hated by all but one person to boot. Where will I be a year from now? Ten years from now? One day, you'll have to move on...one day, you'll rule this entire kingdom. Who will be kind to me then? What kind of a future can I obtain in a place like this? I refuse to be stuck at this position in society...but what can I do? If others can make use of my life, I'll gladly give it to them...that's what it's worth."

"Kagami…" the Lucian princess sighed pitifully. "Stop saying things like that. You're talking about my best friend, after all. It's true that you don't have much right now, but you've still tried to give me so much - and you're trying to give more to other people. You need to start giving to yourself."

"Giving what? What do I have to give to myself?"

Kagura frowned. "Well, you've given me kindness and dreams. Surely you have some to spare. Give yourself the goal of growing into a strong person despite everything the world throws at you."

Kagami just shook her head dejectedly.

"You're really not making this easy...tell you what, I'm going to become the ruler of Lucia." Kagura muttered. "And when I do, I'm going to get rid of all the laws that created such a class-separated society. I don't care about tradition...it does nothing but cause people like you grief. I'll make everyone equals...and then, I'll come back for you. I'll take you as...I don't know. An advisor, a retainer, maybe even a chef! Something!"

Kagami blanched. "W-What? You'd really do that...for someone like me?"

"In a heartbeat!" Kagura insisted. "I've studied how this kingdom operates. It's been like this for countless generations, but you're proof that it doesn't work. Separating the people so strictly does nothing good, and it robs good people like you of their hopes and dreams!"

"I...don't know what to say…" Kagami stammered. "For you to give me such an opportunity...I don't know if I can take it. It'd be my greatest honor if I could help you in any way, I guess...if my life can be useful to a friend..."

"You don't have to give your life to anyone!" Kagura assured her. "Your life belongs to you! But if you're so intent on letting others tell you what to do, let me tell you what to do - I'm _ordering_ you to keep moving forward! You are going to defy this world that shunned you. You're gonna grow up into...I don't know what you want to be, but you're gonna get there. And if there's anything I can do to help you, just tell me - what I said before was kind of a reckless thought, but the idea's not off the table if that's what you really want. You've given me so much, and you keep trying to give...so I'm willing to give just as much back."

"I-I…" Kagami nearly choked, more than a little overwhelmed. "No matter what you say, I'll always be beyond honored to have you say these kinds of things…"

"And I'll always say there's no need." Kagura replied, allowing herself a small smile. "We're friends, and that's what I think friends do. Why should status matter?"

Kagami just nodded and smiled back at her best friend. "I don't know if I can do what you ask of me just yet though. It's...well, hard."

"Take your time. Of course it won't be easy." Kagura encouraged her. "Just work towards it. I want to see you happy, after all."

"Kagura," Kagami noted, "You've become awfully mature."

Instantly, Kagura's maturity encountered an error. "Hrk! U-Uh...I guess. Maybe my dutiful side ended up bleeding into my heart a little bit. Do you think it's better?"

"Well, a mix of both is always best." Kagami replied. "Also, if you're telling me to be happy, I want you to be happy too. Don't let your duties consume you. I might be asking a tall favor, considering what the people up at Zenith seem like..."

Kagura sighed. "I'll try my best, Kagami. Like you said...it's hard."

"But enough of that!" Kagami exclaimed suddenly. "Let's both resolve to live our best lives, and leave it at that for now. Thinking about it makes me a little depressed. So...what do you want to do now?"

The princess laughed, and the villager laughed back.

They both deserved a little happiness in their lives after what they had been through.

After all, for all their quirks, they were still but human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that Kagami and Kagura obviously meet up many, _many_ more times than just the number of meetings I put into writing, because documenting every day of their lives for many years is impossible, to say the least.


	3. Equilibrium of Smiles and Tears, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Revelations, tears, and heartfelt joy. All different, but all parts of life._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Went a little overboard with this one (it's the longest single chapter I've made), but one does not simply hold back the fluff.
> 
> I just played _Her Tears were My Light _too (which was absurdly adorable), so I had to try and not let the incredibly sappy romance bleed into this too much. Level of success was questionable.__

_Six years after the meeting. Kagami and Kagura: age 12._

Kagami stood in the lineup, shivering from the light mist permeating the air. Marching to and fro, Lucian soldiers surveyed the lines of villagers, writing things down on scrolls of parchment paper as they listed everyone.

This had already happened many times before. In order to keep an eye on the happenings of their smaller branches of civilization, the Lucian royalty often sent guards to observe the villages and towns of the kingdom. However, full-on inspections were also fairly common, since they helped the nobles keep track of all the people and statuses of the villages under them. They'd occasionally take some people with them too - for what, they had no idea. For one thing, they never came back.

And as difficult as it was for Kagami to believe - Stonewell being the meager settlement it was - her village _did_ qualify as a farming settlement to the nobles. So, whenever it came time to perform inspections, the village was obligated by law to give a portion of their crops to the capital.

Why did they have to do this? Kagami had no idea. The higher class citizens basically treated Stonewell like dirt, and half the time they'd forget it existed altogether. They didn't offer a whole lot of support to the village - maybe occasional supplies inaccessible in a poor town like Stonewell, but that was it. But for some reason, the higher class still felt a need to take food from a village that needed it more than they did, which would probably just go towards making some noble's meal a little bit bigger. 

It was sickening to Kagami, but it wasn't like she could do a whole lot about it. If they didn't comply with the laws of Lucia, they'd probably face severe consequences - and Francis was far from willing to put up with them. And it wasn't that Kagami was against following laws - it was just a shame that the laws were written by the ones on top, who didn't care about the ones on the bottom.

"Alright, you lot, listen up." a Lucian knight barked. "I've received special orders from the King and Queen themselves. Apparently the princess has been gradually growing rather...distracted with her duties as of late. After watching her for a bit, they found out that she's been spotted heading to this village quite often. What is it that she's so interested in? Is it that she just likes watching you lot trudge through the mud, living your meager lives? Or is it something else? Has she become interested in something? Or... _someone?"_

Kagami gulped. _Oh, no._

Another guard shook her head. "It's unthinkable. The princess is far above us, much less the common rabble - there's no way she'd ever interact with someone from Stonewell."

"There are no absolutes." the knight leader replied. "Out of her curiosity, she might have. But for her to continue visiting here means that if she met someone, they definitely tried to get familiar with her too. That's unacceptable. And I thought just about everyone in this kingdom knew their place...but no matter."

Casually placing a hand on his sword hilt, the soldier surveyed the frightened crowd with cold eyes. "For people like you to sway the princess from her royal duties is unforgivable. This is a warrant for punishment. So, I will ask you once - if any of you are guilty of this, step forward."

His compatriot snapped her fingers. "We aren't afraid to grill each and every one of you for the truth. And if we learn you were trying to deceive us, mark my words, there will be hell to pay for this whole village."

From across the village, Kagami saw Francis shoot her a piercing glare. Remembering his words from years ago, she made up her mind on what to do. It was over for her, but she could give the village one final service. While the village hadn't given her a lot, it hadn't given her _nothing,_ either. Despite everything, she felt the slightest threads of attachment to it.

Stepping forward, she raised her hand. "It was me."

The two knight leaders seemed almost surprised. "It...was? There really was someone…"

Gasps of surprise leaked from the murmuring crowd.

"Someone tried to interact with the princess?"

"Isn't that the kid who tries too hard? The one with silly delusions of grandeur?"

"Her? The little girl who's good for nothing but never learns to quit?"

"How did the princess even let someone like them near her?"

Kagami could make out Francis sigh and give her an odd look - part shame, part relief - but the rest of the village seemed to have instantly turned on her. Well, they had never been _with_ her, so no loss on her part.

One of the guards roughly grabbed her by the wrist and practically lifted her up until he was face-to-face with her. "So you're saying that...you talked to our princess? You dared to interact with her? And that you _somehow_ got her curious about you?"

Kagami had already dug this hole, so she might as well get comfortable. "Of course. After all...she _is_ my best friend. Heh...as I am hers."

_Crack!_

The immediate blow to her face nearly made Kagami white out. "You _dare_ spout such nonsense? Your parents must have dropped you on your head when you were born. You aren't even fit to serve the princess, and you claim to be her friend? Preposterous!"

As he roughly dropped the girl into the dirt, another guard roughly grabbed her wrists and tied them together with rope. "The nerve on this one! Guards, take her away. Those who don't understand their place in the kingdom must be taught!"

Kagami didn't even resist as the guards roughly led her to their cart. However, she yelped as she felt something hard strike her in the arm.

Someone had thrown a rock at her.

"You could have killed us all!"

"Don't come back!"

"Good riddance!"

"How stupid can you be?!"

Those were the words that the villagers spat at her as they hurled all manner of ordnance at the sickly child. Rocks, clods of dirt, and even decomposing food bombarded her, and Kagami wasn't even able to cover her face because of her bindings. She just closed her eyes and braced herself as she felt herself being covered in cuts, bruises, and filthy matter. Eventually, the stinging cuts all over her body made her unable to stand anymore, and the guards simply dragged her through the dirt. "Can't even walk, can you? Tch...worthless brat."

"Hey, hey!" one of the guards yelled as some of their projectiles started hitting Lucian guards as collateral. "Order! You dare to sully our armor with your barbaric attacks? Stop, before we stop you ourselves!"

Sure enough, everyone stopped throwing. Sighing, the knight leader haphazardly threw Kagami into the nearest wagon and leapt onto his mount.

As the wagon started moving, tears sprung from Kagami's eyes. No matter how many times she thought her tears had run dry, she was proven wrong each time. 

So long as she existed, she could still cry. She _would_ still cry.

_About a day later, in the royal palace of Zenith..._

Ivan sat in the armory of the royal palace, checking his gear for damage. His team had just been dispatched to handle an armed riot near the borders of the kingdom. Ivan had been a skilled enough leader to disable the riot with zero casualties, but it had still tired him out. They had fought with an almost disturbing fervor - not the kind of rage that stemmed from deranged anarchists, but the kind from those who had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

He sighed. The outer regions of Lucia housed a good chunk of the lower classes, and as such the capital and higher-class cities gave them just about no support outside of protection. Poverty was rife, and disease was everywhere - compared to some of the settlements he had been to, even a meager place like Stonewell could have qualified for paradise. But that city had just been hit by a famine, and the citizens were desperate for food and medical aid - even if that meant they had to take it by force. To make matters worse, one of their many encroaching enemies had seemingly armed the village with military-grade weapons, allowing them to storm their neighbors.

Ivan knew that extremely rigid class segregation had been subsumed into Lucian society for ages now, but he still didn't get why it had to persist. Was it just that the rich and noble didn't care, since they benefited from it? Was it that the poor and common didn't care, since they thought they could do nothing against it? Surely, not everyone in the higher echelons of the kingdom was selfish, right?

He dreaded the day that Kagura learned about their kingdom's darker sides. She had diligently served the kingdom despite it clearly taking a toll on her interests, and her love for Lucia seemed to be genuine. So far, while her time with Kagami had taught her about the kingdom's class problems, she was still blissfully unaware of Lucia's constant conquest against at least several other nations. But she'd find out soon enough, whether she liked it or not. How she'd react, though, was another story.

"Back already, Ivan?" Elise's voice rang out as the brunette knight stepped into the armory. "You must have dealt with that quickly. I hope it wasn't too violent."

"Nope. No casualties on either side." Ivan muttered. "They might have been armed, but they were uncoordinated - and without a backbone, we were able to shatter their offense in a heartbeat. But man, they were just starving - I sent out an order to fetch the village some supplies from a nearby settlement that can afford it, but I don't know if it'll go through. I might have to do it myself."

Elise sighed. "Yeah, I feel you. But...well, we've got no choice, right? We're just enforcers, not world-shakers. That's our place here."

Ivan looked like he wanted to rebuke her, but shook his head. "How's the princess?"

"Studying." Elise replied simply. "Her tutors piled a whole ton of reading on her. They really don't know how to take it easy - she's still a child, for heaven's sake. I asked if she needed help, but she kind of...shooed me off? She said she'd handle it herself, so I left her to do that."

Ivan nodded. "Mmm."

"Say, if you're not too tired, are you up for a spar? I had to do a bunch of paperwork today, and I'm eager to blow off some energy."

The silver-haired knight chuckled. "Sure thing. I'm just a bit tired though, so if I lose, it's your fault for pushing me into this."

Just as Elise helped Ivan to his feet, however, the door burst open again. Panting, Kagura stood before them, a book clutched in her hands. Her face had taken on an unusual expression of desperate anger.

"Princess?" Ivan gasped. "You mustn't surprise us like that! And did you run out of your room and through the whole castle?"

Kagura ignored them, frantically flipping through the book. "I-I was looking through all of these magic books, and they depicted some history of magic use and whatnot. But this one...it's too suspicious! You're my retainers, so you must've been there. So…"

She pointed at a particular page. "What is this? Tell me now!"

As Ivan and Elise read the page she was pointing at, both of their hearts sank. They looked at each other, and agreed that it was time to tell her.

_She found out about her curse._

_A few minutes later…_

Kagura sat silently in her study and stared into space as Ivan finished recounting the events. "So, yeah. The kid that had the curse forced on them for your sake...was Kagami. If we hadn't been ordered to shift it like that, then you would have ended up like her instead. But now...well, she's shouldering that burden."

In a low voice, Kagura spoke up. "...Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"We...we were worried that you'd take it poorly." Elise offered, although the guilt in her voice was palpable. "The idea that someone had sacrificed their happiness for you was already something we knew you wouldn't like, but then you _befriended_ poor Kagami too. If you were younger, I don't think you could have handled that knowledge. We were planning to tell you once you got a little older, but it's too late for that now."

"Kagami has suffered because of me!" Kagura suddenly yelled. "All those times she wailed and begged to know why the world hated her so much...the reason was right under my nose the whole time! She took something that I was supposed to take...and in exchange for me being able to live like this, she got a life of misery forced onto her!"

"It's not your fault." Elise said hurriedly. "That curse was cast upon Queen Aika before you were even born. You didn't choose any of this either. If anything, we're more at fault than you. We're the ones who did it, after all."

"We...were just following orders. We had to, Elise." Ivan muttered, although he seemed like he was trying to convince himself too. "If anything, the general who wanted to punish her family should be at fault...but he's long since died in combat."

"Shifting the blame will do nothing - but no matter what, it _definitely_ wasn't her fault, nor Kagami's." Elise retorted. "What happened has happened, and both Kagura and Kagami are living with the consequences. Hell, all of us are, in a way."

"B-But that curse was supposed to be for me!" Kagura cried, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. "I've seen how those people treat her...she's so strong, for being able to keep her chin up after all of that! If I hadn't befriended her...then who would she have? Wait...but why was I able to befriend her, anyways?"

"You must be resistant to her curse, I guess?" Ivan offered. "Since it originated from you. That's the only thing I can think of."

"I…" Kagura muttered. "To think I was the cause of her pain...how can I call myself her friend anymore? She gave me so much, and she says I give her so much too...but if I hadn't taken everything from her, she'd never need me to give her anything!"

"Princess, please stop blaming yourself!" Elise pleaded.

The young princess wiped her tears with her sleeve - despite having a handkerchief right in front of her - and stood up, striding towards the open door. "I can't just stand here after learning that. Even if I can't take the curse back, I have to say sorry. I need to go apologize for everything, just to try and make things right. I don't care if she doesn't forgive me! I need to say...something!"

"Princess, please." Ivan started, getting up as well. "You can't just sneak out-"

Raising her hands, Kagura's eyes flashed gold as the air became charged with magical energy. "Please do not try to stop me."

Stunned by how furious Kagura was, her retainers instantly stood down.

"I...I'm sorry." Kagura stuttered. "I got upset. But please...let me do this."

Before they could say anything else, however, a guard marched into the room. "Sir Ivan! Lady Elise! Ah...are you busy? I thought the king and queen said not to help princess Kagura too much. But...ahem, regardless. We need you to inspect the latest bout of prisoners. We're not too sure about what we should do with them."

Ivan sighed. "What did you capture them for this time?"

"Well…" the guard continued, reading from a small piece of paper. "A bunch of people tried attacking our guards again. Oh, and there's one girl from Stonewell who has apparently been consorting with the princess. Not sure about the second one, it all seems too ridiculous to me."

Ivan's eyes widened, Elise flinched, and Kagura nearly choked.

"...Is something wrong? Princess, do you know about this?"

Surprisingly, Kagura kept her cool. "...I know no such person."

The guard nodded. "Alright. Well, you two can go check on them later. Princess, best of luck on your duties. May you grow up to be our new illustrious leader."

The second the guard left, Kagura balled up her fists. "They captured her and threw her in jail...just because she talked to me?"

Her retainers could do nothing but nod.

Letting out a shaky sigh, Kagura turned towards the two Lucian commanders. "I know what I have to do now. Ivan, Elise, I'm about to do something really stupid. But I need your help for this."

Elise tilted her head. "What...do you mean by that? What can we do to help you?"

"...Don't try to stop me."

In the jail cells of the Lucian palace, Kagami sat idly in the corner of her cell while contemplating what had just happened. What was to become of her now? The world had indeed been cruel enough to punish her for wanting a friend, and now she was locked up in some dungeon.

She had been in jail for one day, but it had been surprisingly enjoyable. There was a sort of camaraderie among the prisoners - they were a surprisingly friendly lot. Of course, they still treated Kagami rather harshly, but they didn't actively try to mess with her, either - much unlike the other youth at Stonewell. Considering that the prison was comparable to her orphanage in terms of quality - much less living outside - and that the food here was arguably _better,_ Kagami was beginning to wonder if she would actually be better off in jail. 

_Of course, assuming they don't just execute me. Poor Kagura._

In truth, Kagami also had other things on her mind. She had been peeking at her surroundings as they travelled. She had never gone outside Stonewell before, so that was _one_ good thing about her capture, she supposed. She had still been miserable and injured, but that hadn't stopped her from getting her exclusive peek at the realms she had been locked out of by birth.

What she saw filled her heart with an aching joy. The capital city was filled with massive buildings of stone and metal, a single house probably worth more than all of Stonewell. Polished stone bricks paved all the roads instead of dirt, fountains punctuated the pavilions, flickering steel lanterns lined the sidewalks, and statues of grand knights were everywhere. Zenith was a little above the altitude where low clouds formed, which meant that the overcast mist of Stonewell had been replaced with relative sunshine. 

But above all, the capital was filled with...happiness. 

People were everywhere, laughing and enjoying their lives. Aristocrats lounged leisurely within grand villas, laughing children ran through the paved streets, and chattering citizens ate exquisite food in the outdoor patios of rustic restaurants. Strangely enough, there were little servants - everyone seemed to do all their own work themselves. But the brightness of the capital was still astounding. Was wealth and status really the key to happiness?

Kagami had long since gazed at Zenith from her sanctuary, wondering what life was like in the grand capital. And now, she was finally getting an inside look at the city. For everyone here to be living in such bliss, while the people of Stonewell suffered meager lives and actually _paid tribute_ to this city - Kagami wasn't sure whether she should laugh, scream, or cry.

_I guess one downside to prison is that I can't see such scenery in here._

However, all of that was gone now. Her cell might not have been terrible, but it was still awfully dark. Lamps of odd, unwavering flame were the only illumination, and Kagami could feel the dark almost physically seeping into her brain. How many days did she still have here? The world was cruel enough to lock her away for desiring friendship...would it also be cruel enough to take her life as well?

However, her head lifted at the sound of cloth rustling. Several figures had entered the prison. As they walked among the cells, muttering and writing things down, Kagami's heart stopped once she saw who was leading them.

Kagura had come.

She wanted to scream her name, but she knew better than to lest she get herself - and Kagura - into even deeper trouble. She doubted that Kagura was even here to save her. Surely even the princess had rules they had to abide to.

The Lucian princess surveyed the prisoners. As her eyes locked with Kagami's for a split second, the imprisoned girl immediately knew that Kagura had recognized her. Something seemed to shatter within her eyes. However, as she walked past Kagami, she discreetly raised her finger to her mouth.

_Is she planning something?_

However, Kagura wanted to cry. Knowing that her dear friend's misery was because something intended for her had been forced upon her was bad enough, but now she saw her locked away in this dark place just for making her happy. How deep did the class segregation in Lucia run?

But that was for later. Kagura had already convinced the guards that she had finished her studies, and that she wanted to watch them and get an idea of how they managed the prison. Now, she had to get them off of her for her not-so-grand plan.

One of the prisoners slammed his bars in rage. "You! It's the rulers' fault we're like this! The kingdom is decaying, and you do nothing but let us die! You are murderers!"

"No! It's not your fault…" another said reassuringly. "It's the king and queen that are to blame! Do not let them twist you!"

Another dejectedly shook his head. "Future ruler of this land...you are our only hope. You can stop this!"

"Shut it!" one of the Lucian mages hissed, raising their hand. Immediately, the prisoner screamed as veins of volcanic light pulsed across his skin.

"Stop this!" Kagura commanded. "There is no need!"

Sighing, the mage relented. "Listen not to what these boorish reprobates say."

"...Maybe they could offer some insight." Kagura offered. "I'm going to be in charge of this land soon, after all. Perhaps if they have complaints, I could entertain them."

"...Leave that dirty work to us guards, princess. This is beneath you."

 _Dang._ Kagura had to try something else. "...Well, at the very least, may I explore this place by myself a little bit? I've never been to this part of the castle before."

She held her breath as the mage thought about it. "...I guess it couldn't hurt. You're still a kid, after all. Everyone, let's allow the princess some time to herself. We'll come back to get you in a few minutes."

 _Huh. That worked?_ Kagura thought to herself. But she couldn't think about it for too long. As discreetly as possible, she walked over to Kagami's cage and, with a swipe of her finger, sliced the lock on her cell in two.

"Kagura? You can't just...do this!" Kagami hissed as quietly as possible while Kagura opened the cell door. "The royals will be all over you! They'll also want my head on a pike!"

"...I'm sorry."

"What?"

Kagura couldn't hold back her tears anymore. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Kagami was confused. "What? What did you do? I-"

Before she could object, Kagura grabbed the smaller girl and picked her up like a sack of flour. As the dumbfounded prisoners stared, Kagura took off running - but in the opposite direction of the door. Shrouding herself and her friend in a cloaking spell, she put down Kagami for a second, raised her hand, and fired a small golden fireball that disintegrated the iron bars over the prison's window.

Kagami couldn't help but scream as Kagura scooped her up again before leaping out the window. In a flash, Kagura channeled her power again - Kagami could feel her body flare with heat as she leapt through the air as if jumping on invisible stepping stones, eventually landing outside the castle grounds. Before the dumbfounded Kagami could say anything else, Kagura sprinted into the nearest forest, with her in tow.

"My lord, please forgive me for my failure!"

The mage that had visited the prison with Kagura shuddered as he finished recounting his story. Before him, King Gustav and Queen Aika sat on their ornate thrones, quietly taking in all of the information that they had just received.

"So…" Gustav began. "What you're saying is that Kagura wanted to visit the prison. So she visited it, and asked for some alone time. Then, she proceeded to break one of the prisoners out and vanish."

The mage nodded. "Nobody imprisoned there was armed. Besides, we've got magic-nullifying measures within the cells. Only she could have done it."

"Was this prisoner the child we suspected Kagura had met in Stonewell?"

Another nod.

Aika grit her teeth. "Unbelievable! Were all of our teachings for nothing? For the future ruler of Lucia to be consorting with such lowly rabble is unheard of!"

Gustav raised his hand. "But can you deny what is laid out before our eyes? Calm down, Aika. For now, we will ignore this incident. We must keep a closer eye on our daughter from now on. Clearly she has undergone some changes of her own - we must observe what said changes are, and see if they affect how she performs her role as our heir."

Aika nodded. "Fine."

The king glanced at the cowering guard kneeling before him. "Don't just gawk! I said we will ignore the incident. Go on, go do something productive. Just be careful next time, or I won't be so merciful."

"O-Okay! Thank you, my lord!"

As the guard shuffled out of the room, Gustav sighed. Was friendship really so important to Kagura that she'd break someone out of prison for it? This had never really been a problem for him, or his parents, or any Lucian royalty. But he could not stand for it - especially since she had made friends with a commoner of all people. Kagura could not shirk her duties. She needed to grow into the next leader of Lucia - the one that would ensure their country's place as one of Lurie's superpowers. Just as they had done, and every ruler before them had done.

Kagura sobbed as she ran through the forest, while Kagami tried not to get dizzy. "Kagura? What's wrong? Why are you crying so much?"

"It's my fault!" Kagura wailed, slowing down and collapsing to her knees. "The reason you've been miserable for all this time...you took a curse meant for me!"

Kagami's heart dropped like a rock. "W-What?"

"The Lucian army led by my parents trespassed on the land of some tribe a while before I was born. The tribe was led by a dark god, and they laid a curse on my mom." Kagura explained through tears. "This affected me instead - it would have made me sickly and totally unlikeable. And I mean that literally - the dark god wanted whoever disturbed them and laid waste to their people to become a miserable wreck, the target of humanity's grievances and hatred. You become a sickly weakling, hated by all humanity."

Realization dawned on Kagami. "Hold up. You're saying-"

"But I couldn't take it." Kagura went on. "My parents and the nobles couldn't have me take it, since I was the heir to the throne. They couldn't cure it, because they didn't understand that dark god's magic, but they theorized that they could transfer it to another person instead. So, they ordered Ivan and Elise to head to the nearest commoner village...and they sacrificed someone to take my curse."

Suddenly, a bunch of pieces clicked together in Kagami's brain. _A sickly weakling, hated by all humanity._ Elise had said she knew Kagami from before their actual meeting. Kagura had said that Kagami's eyes looked familiar during their first encounter. 

Everything fit together - was this really why her life was like this? The question "why was I born this way" had been answered - she _hadn't._ She had gotten this forced on her against her will, for the machinations of the people above her. To save Kagura's life, hers had been stolen from her.

Kagami desperately tried to steady her breathing as tears started rolling down her cheeks. As her fists balled up hard enough that her nails started biting into her palms, Kagura whimpered and backed away slightly. The magically-gifted, combat-trained princess being fearful of a tiny girl that barely exceeded her chest level should have been an amusing sight, but it wasn't. Kagami couldn't do anything to her body - what she was scared of was what Kagami could do to her heart.

But never once did Kagami feel anger towards the princess. She was livid, but all her anger was directed at the royals who had chosen this to happen. "Those guys...they'd really use someone like me as a scapegoat for that curse. I must have only been a baby at that time, too...it's unforgivable. It was their fault they brought it on themselves anyways! They probably invaded that dark god's land for their own selfish reasons...and they'd toss the consequences at people who are already at the bottom! But...what can I do? All I can do is accept it...I hate this..."

Kagura watched fearfully, and Kagami's expression softened at the sight. "Kagura...I know you're sorry, but it's not your fault. How could I ever blame you? How could anyone blame you? You didn't even have a choice in the matter. Your curse was given to you by forces outside your control...so the curse that lies within me right now was exactly the same."

The princess hung her head. "I-I can't get over it, though. All this time you've suffered, and I had no idea that it was indirectly for my sake."

"Well, then...I guess it wasn't for nothing, right?" Kagami sniffed. "I managed to save you from a terrible fate…"

"But…"

Kagami stood on her tiptoes and patted Kagura on the head. "Let it pass. Besides, you're immune to it, right? I can only guess so much, since the curse used to be yours - after all, you didn't turn me away when we first met. And you believe in me...you said that all of humanity would hate me, but you lied. Because one person truly does care about me. So I'm not totally alone, right?"

Kagura knelt down on the dusty, leaf-covered ground. Then, as Kagami offered her arms to her, the princess fell into her embrace, crying into her chest. "P-Please...don't hate me..."

Kagami hugged Kagura as tightly as she could, allowing her tears to flow freely as well. "I would never. You did nothing wrong. Neither of us did anything wrong. I will shoulder this for your sake. So, for my sake...don't cry. Smile, and trust in me."

"B-But...you're crying too!"

Kagami laughed through her tears. "No...I'm not! I...I..."

As it turned out, she was a terrible liar. Both of them just embraced each other, crying their eyes out. Alone in the middle of the dusty forest, they cried like the children they were underneath their shells of misfortune, their tears watering the withering plants.

_After all, we're just victims of circumstance._

_Because...because this world...is unfair..._

Surprisingly, the fallout of the next few days was borderline nonexistent. Ivan and Elise had delivered her back to Stonewell, explaining to the populace that it had been a mistake, and that she _definitely_ had not interacted with the Lucian princess. That had placated the masses a bit, but they still distrusted Kagami even more for nearly bringing the wrath of Zenith onto their heads. Not that she cared.

Meanwhile, Kagura had returned to the castle, dreading her punishment. Surprisingly, everyone greeted her as usual, treating the event as if it had never happened. Even her parents seemed to be unaware of the events, simply nodding and welcoming her back. Kagura knew better - they were simply pretending not to care. For what reasons, she didn't know. The hopeful side of her prayed that they had maybe grown to understand why she wanted a friend so desperately.

Strangely enough, they didn't actually fill in the break time she was scheduled to have next weekend. And when she asked if she could try going camping at Konis, the nearest nature area and a place that she had always wanted to visit, they had actually agreed. Gustav in particular seemed eager to give Kagura some experience in the wild outdoors.

Of course, she didn't tell them that she also planned to take Kagami with her. That girl deserved all the happiness in the world. After all, she was the reason she could be happy today...the truth had only made Kagura admire her even more.

It wasn't like Kagami had anything better to do, so she had agreed on the spot. While she had been flustered at the thought that Kagura was basically sneaking her into one of her fun activities, Kagura waved it off. _She's so humble. Maybe too humble._

So, on yet another cloudy day, Ivan and Elise helped cover them while Kagami ran off to intercept Kagura's journey, and the princess picked her up for the ride. Kagami was yawning for the entire carriage ride, but it was clear that she was nearly bursting with joy.

Konis was a little north of Zenith, a virtually uninhabited land of harsh wilderness. It wasn't desolate, per say, but the environment there was so rugged and rocky that nobody really wanted to set up anything there, much less live there. It consisted of a huge lake surrounded by rocky land and coniferous forests, bordered by snow-capped mountains. It was true that the land offered very little natural resources, but what it _did_ offer was a breathtaking view. So, many Lucians used it as a camping spot - the place where they were heading was but one of them.

Once they had arrived, Ivan and Elise unpacked all their goods while the children tried to simultaneously help them and marvel at the scenery. Somehow, Kagura was more impressed than Kagami was - clearly she didn't get a lot of time to admire the scenery back at Zenith.

They set up their tents by the lakeside and laid out their supplies on the picnic bench. It wasn't long before the children decided that they wanted to do something exciting. So, with Ivan keeping an eye on them from a distance, the two of them set off to explore the alpine forests around their campsite.

It wasn't like there weren't any forests near either of their homes, but there really weren't any forests quite like this one in either Stonewell or Zenith. For one thing, the coniferous trees here were unlike anything they had seen before. The fact that trees could have verdant needles instead of leaves was intriguing to the two children. Furthermore, the ground was blanketed with what looked like dead needles, filling the air with a peculiar scent. They couldn't compare it to much, but it smelled good - Kagura thought about how it smelled kind of like the furniture some of the nobles owned.

Enveloped by the shade of the dense forest, Kagami inhaled deeply. "Ahhh...this place smells really good. It's a fresh nature smell...this is one of the reasons I like staying around the forest."

Kagura nodded. "Mhm. It's a lot darker here, though. The trees are super dense, and the foliage is thick. It's not like your place back at Stonewell."

Kagami just shrugged. "Do you not like it? Well, I guess you could climb a tree if you wanted a better view. It'd probably be easy for you."

The princess might have misunderstood, but her eyes lit up. "Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun! Kagami, you can climb trees, right?"

"Uh, yeah? I practice a lot back at home."

"Okay, we can climb these trees together!" Kagura chirped. "Come on, I'll give you a boost!"

Kagami felt herself getting swept up by the explosion of excitement - Kagura's childish persona seemed to be letting loose now that she was free of her royal burdens. Raising her hands up, she reached for the branches as Kagura grabbed her by the ankles and effortlessly lifted her up. Unfortunately, that boost still wasn't enough to let the commoner girl reach the first safe-looking branch.

"Ack!" Kagami grunted as bits of bark rained down on her from her fidgeting. "I still can't reach it! Kagura, you're still a little too short!"

In response, the young princess puffed up her cheeks. "W-What? I-I'm not short! Well, even if I am now...one day, I'll be taller! You'll see!"

"Kagura...you're still a lot taller than me as you are."

"Oh...right. Sorry."

However, despite her lack of strength, Kagami was surprisingly agile. Grabbing onto one of the less stable branches, she pulled herself up by lodging her boots within several crevices in the trunk. Grunting, she noticed the stump of a broken branch and used that as her next foothold. Pulling herself up once again, Kagami took a risk and took a step onto the unsteady branch, breathing a sigh of relief when it didn't break. Apparently her light weight was helping her with this.

"K-Kagami, be careful!" Kagura called from below, preparing to catch her if she fell.

Kagami just kept advancing, leaping from that branch to the next before swinging on it, using the momentum to propel herself. Digging her fingers into any cracks she could find, she managed to climb to the point where all the branches were perfectly intact. Ignoring the feeling of the conifer's needles scratching at her, she - with difficulty - scaled the tree, perching at the top. "Hah...haha! I did it! I guess all that practice wasn't for nothing!"

"You're so awesome!" Kagura praised. "I'm coming up too!"

Unfortunately, Kagura was quite a bit heavier than her smaller friend. The moment she had tried to grab a half-broken branch, it had splintered and fallen off. Plus, Kagura's attire was ill-suited for climbing unlike Kagami's simple, light attire - she still wore the same regal attire that she did at the castle, and a long skirt wasn't exactly the best for physical activity. However, she made up for these deficits by being _far_ stronger than Kagami was - she could easily pull her way up the tree just by grabbing the trunk tightly.

Eventually, Kagura also clawed her way up to the top. As Kagami smiled and took a seat on the branch she was standing on, Kagura sidled up beside her and sat down as well. "Hehe...it really is brighter up here."

Sure enough, they were now high up enough that sunbeams trickled through the needled canopy and onto their faces. But the sunbeams weren't the only thing that was new - Kagura smiled as she saw a few small, furry animals scurrying up to her, evidently curious.

"What are those?" Kagami whispered, almost fearfully.

Kagura shrugged, lowering her hand to them. "I dunno, but they look cute!"

Fearlessly, the creatures scurried up Kagura's arm, nearly tickling her enough to send her falling. Making a cradle motion with her arms, she giggled as they practically ran into her embrace, piling into her lap. "Aww...they _are_ super cute! Maybe I have a way with animals?"

Hesitantly, Kagami reached out to them - and to her surprise, they leapt at her just as eagerly. The commoner girl yelped and resisted the urge to panic as one of them scurried into her open palm. Slowly, Kagami raised a hand and stroked its downy fur.

"They...like me?" Kagami asked in disbelief.

Kagura smiled. "Maybe you have a way with animals too! The records said your curse affected humans specifically, so maybe animals and such are immune!"

Kagami laughed as the creatures got comfortable with her, nuzzling her with their squishy snouts and tickling her with their bushy tails. "If that's the case...I'm so happy."

The two girls entertained the little creatures for a bit, before they decided they wanted to do something else. Carefully coaxing the creatures away, Kagura enveloped them in a wind spell before they both leapt to the ground.

Exploring the forest a little, they eventually stumbled across a rocky bluff overlooking the lake. From their new vantage point, they could see the lake in all its beauty - its surface was like a flawless mirror, completely still and reflecting the azure sky to mimic its shade of brilliant blue. Surrounding the lake were rocky beaches leading into more towering forestry - and surrounding those, the mountains towered over everything, their peaks scraping at the few clouds floating by.

Kagura noticed that they could see their campsite from here. She waved to Ivan and Elise, who waved back.

However, Kagami had another idea. "Hey, Kagura, you want to go fishing? I know you brought food and everything, but I want to see if the fish here taste different from the ones in Stonewell!"

 _Figured she'd be that much of a food person!_ Kagura thought to herself. However, she was more than willing to join her friend. "Sure! I think we brought some fishing gear just in case, so I'd be glad to help out in any way I can!"

After a bit of shouting to her retainers, Kagura magically grabbed all of their stuff before plopping it down beside them. With a start, Kagami realized that she was a bit out of her depth - while she had caught fish too many times to count, she had never actually used a fishing rod before. Clearly, neither did Kagura, but Kagami still had a bit of an advantage - she had actively read about how to use one before.

It only took Kagami five minutes to figure out how to assemble it and put the bait onto the hook, and three attempts to figure out how to cast the line properly. With a swish, she sent her lure arcing gracefully into the lake, creating a ripple that shattered the mirror-like stillness of the water's surface.

"That was a good cast, Kagami!" Kagura praised. "Now, let me see if I can just...follow your lead…"

Kagami was going to say something about how she felt honored to have Kagura following her lead, but she felt a tug on her line. "There!"

Surprisingly, she had no trouble reeling in her line. However, the cause of that was revealed soon - she had caught a piece of kelp. Worse still, it had taken her worm with it.

As Kagura smiled nervously and patted her on the shoulder, Kagami nearly whined in protest before setting for a simple sigh and refitting a new worm onto her hook. As she casted again, Kagura followed her lead - and found that her hook landed just as neatly, albeit much further out than Kagami's due to her greater strength.

However, Kagami was the one to get the first bite. As something tugged repeatedly on her line, Kagami smiled and pulled her rod up, furiously reeling. "I got something! I-"

Her exclamation of joy soon became a scream of fright as the force on her line suddenly increased tenfold. Kagami found herself suddenly pulled towards the edge of the bluff, but Kagura yelped and grabbed her around the waist to stop her from plummeting into the water.

"K-Kagami!" the princess gasped. "Hold on!"

"This...is a big one!" Kagami yelled, refusing to let her grip on the rod loosen. Digging in her heels and bracing herself, she continued trying to reel in her catch, with Kagura holding onto her and providing support. When that didn't work, Kagura physically started pulling Kagami backwards to help reel in her catch, taking care not to hurt her fragile friend too much.

Secretly, Kagami still felt like she was being torn in half. However, she persevered and kept reeling. As her catch started pulling the line in the other direction, Kagura grabbed her line and started pulling on it as well.

It took a minute or two, but the two of them eventually managed to subdue the struggling fish and pull it to the surface. And what a fish it was - a massive, fat silver behemoth about half a meter in length. It was still fighting on the way up, too - it actually threw both Kagami and Kagura off of it when they tried to remove the hook from its mouth, and Kagura needed to use magic to restrain it.

"W-Whoa." Kagami stammered in awe. "I didn't know such huge fish lived here...this is really a step up from what I'm used to."

Kagura smiled as she dumped the fish in one of the holding bins they had brought - although it took up the whole bin. "I've never seen one live before! That's probably enough for a huge, delicious meal...but I kind of still want to keep fishing. I haven't caught anything yet!"

Kagami just laughed as the two of them resumed their fishing excursion, trying to ignore the frantic thrashing sounds from their catch. Soon enough, both of them had caught a number of small fish as well, although Kagami seemed to be more adept at fishing than her friend. Kagura had praised her endlessly after witnessing Kagami score catch after catch, which still baffled Kagami to no end. The fact that she was doing anything better than someone as esteemed as Kagura would always be a bit unbelievable to her.

"Oh! This one's bigger!" Kagura exclaimed, pulling up yet another brownish-green fish. "I just need to-"

Just as she pulled the hook out of its mouth, the fish wriggled out of her grip and leapt at her face.

Kagura screamed and toppled over as the fish landed on top of her, awkwardly flopping around and repeatedly slapping her in the face with its tail. She could have easily subdued it with magic, but sudden panic had all but paralyzed the silver-haired princess. However, Kagami was braver than her, so she reached down and, after two tries, grabbed the fish.

Kagura stopped flailing as Kagami laughed, holding the squirming fish above the princess' face. She hadn't expected Kagura to be so scared of something like this - she really was a big softie despite her status and power. "Gotcha! Hehe, I didn't think you'd panic so much."

"Ahaha...sorry." Kagura chuckled sheepishly. "Hey...at least my knight in shining armor came to save me, right?"

Kagami turned red, let out an inarticulate squeak, and dropped the fish.

The ensuing screams drove birds from the trees.

A few very chaotic minutes later, the girls were at the rocky beach campsite once again. Ivan had been on the verge of intervening before Elise assured him that they were just playing. Sure enough, it had all been harmless fun - the pair had gotten a couple of fish for them to cook, alongside one massive one that Ivan could barely believe _Kagami_ of all people had caught. This would be more than enough for lunch, despite them already having made preparations - in fact, they released all but the biggest one.

However, the kids weren't done. After Kagura had complained that her clothes were dirty from their fishing escapade, Kagami had just said they could go play in the water while cleaning off at the same time.

"But...but we'll get soaked!" Kagura objected. "I didn't bring swimming clothes, or anything..."

"Who needs those?" Kagami replied instantly. "It's not that big of a deal! You and your retainers could probably dry us off, anyways! Come on, let's go!"

"A-Ah! Okay! Please, don't pull me..."

Ivan and Elise were a little confused. They knew Kagura didn't really want to act so tough all the time, but they were still surprised by how meek she was. Perhaps Kagura really was this timid, but never got a chance to show it. Likewise, Ivan and Elise had snuck looks at Kagami before the princess arrived for their secret playdates, and Kagami never looked even a tenth as excitable as she was now. Clearly, both children had aspects of their personality that they only had chances to reveal to each other.

And about Kagami...the two guards still found it somewhat difficult to see her in a truly positive light. The human mind is easily manipulated, especially when the manipulation comes from the curse of a dark god. While they saw her in a good light, that was merely because she brought Kagura so much happiness - they saw Kagami in relation to Kagura, rather than an individual. Ivan and Elise felt guilty that they still couldn't do this despite Kagami having shown them that she was a truly sweet child. Perhaps they'd get there one day.

As the retainers just shrugged and started preparing to make lunch, Kagami dragged a stuttering Kagura into the water, the splashing from their boots disrupting the water surface once more. Ignoring the water soaking into their clothes, they ran until Kagura was waist deep, which meant that Kagami was up to her neck.

"C-C-Cold!" Kagura yelped. "Kagami, don't run in so quickly! You'll catch a cold at this rate!"

Kagami was shivering too, but she laughed. "Ehehe, it's not _that_ bad." Stretching out and relaxing, she noted that she could float on the water's surface despite her waterlogged clothes. "It's nice like this. The water's cold, but the sun is still warming me."

"Really..." Kagura mused. Kneeling down so her whole body was submerged, she tried paddling around a little despite the depth being relatively shallow for her. "I was taught swimming techniques, but I've never actually tried them before."

Immediately, Kagami stood up again. "Same here. Oh, we can race, then!"

"That's...a bit unfair, isn't it?" Kagura said nervously.

"Hmph! Don't underestimate me!"

Kagura wasn't exactly sure what to say, but she decided to entertain the request. Marking their start and end points with magical lights, the two of them counted down before launching themselves headlong into the frigid water.

While neither of them had ever swum before, they _had_ studied technique to a limited extent - meaning that they managed to swim, albeit somewhat sloppily. Kagami quickly learned that she couldn't dive too deep because of her light weight and lack of strength, so she simply opted to swim near the water's surface. Kagura, on the other hand, found that her waterlogged clothing made it harder to stay afloat, so she tried to dive near the lake bed.

Unsurprisingly, Kagura swam a lot faster than her friend. However, she quickly ran into a few problems. The first one was that no matter how she tried, she was having trouble opening her eyes underwater for an extended period of time, meaning that she was basically swimming blind half the time. The second problem arose soon after - due to the depth of her swimming, she repeatedly found herself getting tangled in the kelp at the bottom of the lake.

Meanwhile, Kagami had no such problems. She wasn't particularly fast, given her lack of physical ability, but she never wavered in her advance as she skimmed the lake's surface, occasionally taking shallow dives. Eventually, she managed to reach the finish, breaching the surface with an explosive gasp for air. "Hah...sorry I'm late. I guess I couldn't do it after all..."

She trailed off as she realized she was alone. "Eh? Kagura?"

A sputtering sound from behind her drew her attention. Turning around, she saw Kagura a few meters behind her, covered in kelp. She didn't look tired in the slightest, but she still looked like she was done with everything.

"What...happened?" Kagami asked incredulously between breaths.

Kagura laughed softly as she shook the matted silver hair out of her face. "I...I got tangled in kelp a few times. Also, I couldn't see where I was going for half the time...so, uh, I just kept bumping into more kelp. Well, I guess you really did win."

"Aw, that's no fair." Kagami offered, before rescinding her statement. "Actually, maybe that is. Who knows."

The princess started removing the bits of seaweed from herself, taking the time to smell one. "You were going under too, right? How did you manage to see?"

"See?" Kagami repeated. "I just kept my eyes open."

"You...can do that?"

Kagami nodded. "Mhm. It doesn't bother me too much, for some reason."

Kagura was more than a bit impressed, walking over to her friend and brushing her golden hair out of her eyes. "Wow, you must be sturdy. You really are full of surprises."

The commoner just laughed. "I'm sure you can learn to do the same in a day. Come on, I'll give you a start!"

"What are you-"

Kagura was cut off once Kagami playfully splashed water into her face. The princess yelped in alarm and futilely tried to cover herself as Kagami continued her relentless attack. Letting out a small whine of protest, Kagura dunked her hands into the water and started splashing her friend back. Soon, the two of them were laughing as they splashed each other with the ice-cold lake water, with so much vigor that their fun could probably be mistaken for a fight to the death from afar.

"G-Gah!" Kagami screamed as Kagura accidentally slapped her in the face with a stray piece of kelp caught up in her splashing. "Why, you..."

"I'm not done yet!" Kagura started to glow with silver light as the water around her started forming into streams, spiralling around her like snakes of fluid glass. With a shout, she sent the torrents hurtling at her target.

Kagami thought that it was a tad unfair that Kagura was using her powers for this, but at the same time she was thrilled to be witnessing this. Raising her hands, she instinctively found herself bracing herself and willing the water to vanish as the deluge shot towards her face at blinding speed.

However, the first stream of water actually stopped in midair, deflected off an invisible barrier.

The sight of this made Kagura falter. That had been a _magic barrier._ Sure, the rest of her streams overpowered the borderline-nonexistent shield and totally drenched Kagami, but there was no ignoring the fact that Kagami, the seemingly powerless commoner girl, had actually used a magic ability.

"What...was that?" a dripping Kagami asked, just as confused as Kagura. "I don't know what happened…"

"D-Did you...uh, wish for a barrier to appear?"

Kagami was dumbfounded. "Uh, maybe? I was bracing myself...maybe I was willing for the water to be turned away?"

Kagura slowly waded towards her, eying her carefully. Kagami grew a little uncomfortable upon seeing how intensely Kagura seemed to be examining her, but Kagura only nodded. "Huh. That actually kind of makes sense. Kagami...I think you summoned a magical barrier."

"W-What?" Kagami stuttered. "Me? Using magic? That's not possible! I thought only nobles and such had magic, like you!"

Kagura could have sworn she wasn't supposed to say this, but she decided to let it slide - Kagami was her best friend, after all. "Well...that's what they tell the general population, but it's not totally true. From what I've heard and studied about magic, technically _anyone_ could use it. Magical energy permeates nearly every corner of Lurie, and using it is simply drawing upon the world's energy. Sure, some places have more magic than others, and some people are better vessels than others, but everyone should be able to draw upon the world's energy to a certain degree."

Kagami choked, gesturing wildly with her hands. "That makes no sense, though! If just _anyone_ can use magic, then everyone _would_ be using it. Why can none of the people at Stonewell use it? Or the people anywhere else? There are so many situations that I would have loved to use magic...but why now of all times?"

"Well," Kagura muttered, "it's a little more complicated than that. If I remember correctly, there's a secret underground network of inhibitor relics that sprawls across all of Lucia. These relics are specifically designed to suppress the world's magic, sealing it away so nobody can use it. You can take magic from outside, though - I'm one of the rare people that can actually store a lot of magic in their bodies, and the soldiers at Zenith use special equipment that can store magic. But the general population doesn't have these - and if you're born and stuck in an inhibited settlement, you don't have a chance to absorb magic at all."

Kagami was appalled, but not surprised. "Ah. I see how it is. Was this a way to make sure magic never fell into the hands of the common folk? To make sure the nobles were always on top?"

Kagura didn't want to meet Kagami's gaze. It was clear that she felt a lot of second-hand shame from the actions of her people.

However, the villager got over it soon enough. "So...I can use magic here?"

"Mhm. Nobody lives in Konis, and it's considered a wild area. So, there weren't any inhibitors placed here."

"If you don't mind, can you teach me a bit?"

Kagura was a little surprised. "E-Ehh? T-Teach you...magic? Like, I'm not really supposed to do that, but...I don't really mind. Why, though?"

Kagami nodded simply. "It'd be cool, I guess. Please?"

"...Okay. I guess it _would_ be fun..."

A few minutes later, and the two of them stood facing each other in the middle of the lake. 

"Okay, so, the basic concept isn't too hard." Kagura started. "Basically, I want you to imagine whatever you want to do."

Kagami was a little confused. "Uh...okay. I guess I'll imagine a little light to appear before me now? Surely it can't be that simple, right?"

To her surprise, Kagura nodded. "It really is. You draw on the energy present in the world and channel it through force of will, calling on it to make whatever you want to happen, well, happen. Of course, it almost never clicks right away, so mages usually need to practice a lot before their bodies become completely attuned to the process. And training your body is only one thing, since you have to hone your mind too - with a power that translates your thoughts into tangible results, thinking slightly differently can change the effects of your magic quite a bit. You sorta need to completely remember exactly what chain of thoughts produces what results, which is the harder part. That's why a lot of mages use chants or verbal incantations, because that makes it easier to remember."

"I...see." Kagami replied, raising her hand and willing a light to appear, only to frown when it didn't.

Kagura just nodded. "Yeah, it's hard to get it on the first try. If you need a bit of help, try imagining magic itself as...fluid? It's a fluid surrounding you, and to use it, you've got to let it into yourself and direct it. Close your eyes and try it - of course, you'll need to, uh, do it with your eyes open later."

Following her lead, Kagami closed her eyes and pictured herself as submerged in a vast ocean of faintly sparkling fluid. She imagined herself inhaling deeply, letting it into her - and gasped as she was struck by a disturbingly lifelike feeling of drowning. She felt water filling her lungs, and her eyes snapped open as she involuntarily started choking and splashing.

"That always happens." Kagura said, patting her on the shoulder encouragingly. "The truth is that magic is closer to nature than it is to us. Humans just aren't as compatible with magic, compared to the myriad flora and fauna the world has in store. It'll feel uncomfortable at first, but you get used to it quickly. Overcome that feeling of suffocating, of foreign matter entering your body."

Kagami closed her eyes and attempted it again. This time, when the drowning sensation kicked in, she steeled her nerves and continued letting the energy flow into her. Gradually replacing the feeling of drowning was an odd, tingling sensation that pulsed through her entire body, making her feel as if she were weightless. In that moment, Kagami felt _something_ indescribable, as if she had been solidly connected to the world itself.

Raising a trembling hand, Kagami wished for a light to appear. Sure enough, she could feel dim light seeping into her closed eyes, as well as a faint warmth licking at her fingers.

Kagura was impressed. "W-Wow. You only took...that little time? It took me a lot longer to get over that feeling of drowning. You...must be very strong, or brave."

Kagami opened her eyes, but her broken concentration caused the little light before her to instantly fizzle out. "So, uh...what can you use magic for?"

"Anything, really!" Kagura assured her. "It's a miraculous power that can make almost anything you wish for into a reality. Well, that's a lie, since its effects are a lot more direct - you can't just wish for abstract things. Off the top of my head, people use it to manipulate energy, matter, or the elements. Oh, and lots of stuff for combat, like projections of solid magic, enchanting weapons to enhance their properties, and strengthening of the physical body."

The last one caught Kagami's attention. "Strengthening...of the physical body?"

"By channelling magic into yourself, people can turn themselves superhuman!" Kagura explained. "I've seen a lot of mages who are pretty physically frail, but their magic can make them just as strong as our knights! And then when our knights use it, they get even stronger! Kagami, you know what this means? You could maybe become this strong too!"

Kagami was getting hopeful. "Is there a condition? It seems too good to be true."

Kagura placed her hand on her chin. "Well, obviously the amount of magic you'd use depends on how big the difference in strength is. If you wanted to become super strong, you'd probably need to use a whole lot...uh, no offense! Sorry!"

"It's fine! Go on!"

Exhaling shakily, Kagura continued. "But yeah, you might need a good source of power for something like that. You can only absorb so much from the land at once, after all. Hey, that reminds me...I want to try to read your potential. Can...can I touch you?"

"E-Eh? Ah, sure!"

However, when Kagura approached Kagami, she suddenly reached out and, in a clapping motion, pressed her hands into Kagami's cheeks.

"Eep! K-Kagura?" the commoner mumbled in surprise, shocked by the sudden chill on her face. Kagura's hands were very soft, to be fair, but they were also soaked in freezing lake water.

"Hehe, I thought that it'd be funny to do that." Kagura giggled. However, she still had a job to do. Channeling her magic into Kagami in an attempt to gauge her magical capacity, her eyes widened at her discovery. "Kagami, you...wow. Sure, your capacity for storing magical energy is basically zero, but your magical conductivity...is really high!"

"What does that mean?"

Kagura removed her hands from Kagami's cheeks and nodded. "It means that you channel magical energy a lot better than most people. Basically, if you wish for magic to do something, the chances of it actually happening are higher!"

"W-Wow…" Kagami said, awestruck. "I didn't know that...someone like me could have such an ability. But it doesn't matter, right? Even if you're right, and I have a potential for magic, it doesn't mean a lot if I'm stuck at Stonewell, where magic is inhibited."

Kagura sighed. "Kagami, try looking on the bright side of things. You're here now, and you can at least try using it."

Kagami wanted to protest, but she knew that her friend was right. Reaching down into the water, she pulled out a long stick. "So you said you could enchant a weapon, right? Alright, fight me! I've kinda always wanted to learn how to spar with someone!"

Hesitantly, Kagura picked up her own stick. "Wait one second, you can't just-"

"Here I come! Hyah!"

"A-Aaaah! Not so quickly!"

From further away, Ivan looked up from his cooking and raised an eyebrow. "What...are they doing?"

Elise just shrugged. "Looks like a play fight. Those two really know how to have fun. It's a shame they can only get small moments like this together."

"Uh, should we be getting involved?"

"Jeez, Ivan, it's called a _play_ fight. Kagura's not gonna get hurt, chill out a bit."

After about an hour, Kagami finally tired herself out and let Kagura drag her back to the shore. Considering how frail she was, Kagami had lasted far longer than Kagura had initially thought. But she had pushed herself so hard that Kagura was honestly surprised that she hadn't fainted outright.

Their duel had been haphazard, but Kagami had been thrilled beyond belief. What had been a slow sparring lesson had quickly evolved into a combat trial. But the growing fervor in her eyes made Kagura a little concerned - it was like Kagami was releasing all her pent-up anger from wishing to lash out at the world, but being too weak to. Now that she had been granted new power, if only for a bit, she had seemingly cut loose - she was finally able to express the extent of her emotions.

_She had been bottling up all of this...how terrible. She has a strong heart..._

In fact, Kagami had cried a little while fighting - unknown to Kagura, she had lost control of herself for a bit, but still felt deep sadness that she was directing her combat frenzy towards her dearest friend. She feared how much it was hurting Kagura's heart.

_This...feels good. But Kagura doesn't deserve this...why am I doing this to her?_

Kagura had gladly taught her what she knew about swordplay, and Kagami had sucked up all the information eagerly. The commoner girl had somehow adapted to using magic surprisingly quickly, although her abilities were unstable as expected. She had successfully enchanted her "sword" and enhanced her own strength somewhat, but found herself unable to fully manifest elemental attacks. She had tried, but the best result was a small concussive flame orb that had only knocked _herself_ over.

Kagura wasn't too afraid to show off her own powers as well, duly impressing Kagami. Her abilities had increased a lot since she had last shown them off.

However, Kagami was nothing if not determined. Kagura kept trying to hold back - her friend would be no match for her otherwise - but Kagami kept pushing her to release more and more of her combat abilities. At first, her magic was haphazard and her combat style sloppy - she had fallen countless times, but she would just stand back up before Kagura had time to offer her a hand. 

It was not possible to learn swordplay _or_ magic in one day, much less both, but Kagami had still made remarkable progress considering her origins. Even if her magic became as powerful as that of a Lucian soldier, her curse made it so she'd never be as strong as one. However, she was dextrous, agile, and highly adaptive to changing situations. Even when Kagura used her powers to alter the environment to her advantage, Kagami would turn her disadvantage around quickly.

It wasn't long before Kagami was able to achieve some semblance of combat - she really did learn fast. And it made Kagura happy too, since she rarely got a chance to teach people - she was always the one being taught, so it was a breath of fresh air for her. Regardless of the intentions, their play-fighting made them both very happy - they fought, yelled, and splashed so much that they could practically smell Ivan and Elise worrying from afar.

However, watching her friend's progress made Kagura a little sad. _She has so much potential...will she ever get a chance to use it?_

However, Kagami had totally drained herself now. Kagura basically had to carry her back to the campsite, where her retainers used magic to fully dry them off. Ivan and Elise had already cooked the fish they had caught while they were playing, and Kagura was enjoying a scrumptious lunch. However, Kagami had so recklessly exhausted herself that she was now barely able to move, simply sprawled out on a picnic bench and soaking up the midday sun like she was a dead fish herself.

"Kagami…" Kagura sighed, the concern in her face as clear as day. "You need to eat. You've used up all your energy, and you need to get it back!"

She received a tired whine for her troubles. "Myeeeeh…"

As if she were a small child, Kagami waved her hands at the plate of cooked fish. Sighing again, Kagura placed some fish onto a plate, along with two pieces of bread. "C'mon. You always eat a lot, so that makes it even more important that you eat now."

Feebly, Kagami reached for the spoon. Cutting out a small piece of fish, she nibbled it and smiled weakly. "It's amazing, as always. Everything you bring me is so good...I can't ever thank you enough."

Kagura was quick to correct her. "I didn't bring you this. This is the fish we caught together. If anything, you were the one who actually caught it, so it's mostly your work!"

"Ahhh...I guess." Kagami muttered, yawning.

Kagura shook her head. "Jeez. If you're this tired, I'll feed you. Okay?"

"I'm...not a kid..."

The princess just shushed her tired friend and scooped up a larger piece of fish, holding the spoon up to Kagami's mouth as if she were feeding an infant. Kagami whined in protest again, but parted her lips and took a bite. "Mmm..."

Afraid of quite literally shoveling food down her friend's throat, Kagura took it slowly and steadily, trying her best to hide the fact that her hands were trembling. Kagami may have been tired - too tired to protest her treatment any further - but her appetite was not diminished in the slightest. Eventually, all of the fish on her plate had vanished.

At this point, Kagami had regained enough strength to sit up straight and actually eat by herself. She scarfed down the small dinner roll that Kagura had picked out before, but when she took a bite into the second one, she choked. "This...this is..."

"Yep, a sweet roll!" Kagura beamed. "You said you loved these, so I ran off to a bakery and got some for you! Is it as good as the ones you like?"

After all these years, Kagami still didn't really know how to respond to her royal friend's consideration for her well-being. "It's much better! I can't thank you enough..."

"If you're happy, that's more than enough thanks!"

The kids laughed, and Kagura's retainers couldn't help but smile. Seeing their princess so jubilant made them happy beyond belief, especially since they rarely saw here smile at the castle nowadays - well, at least not of her own free will. But the day was still pretty young - they had gotten up to a number of antics in the morning alone, so what did the afternoon hold?

After eating a bunch of their miscellaneous foodstuffs and going into a food coma for half an hour, Kagami recovered from her burnout surprisingly quickly. Eager to find another way she could use magic while she still could, she had asked Kagura to come up with "something outlandish". Turns out, Kagura's imagination was a lot more reckless than she had thought - and for the tiniest moment, Kagami regretted her decision.

Exhaling shakily and watching mist form in front of her, Kagami gripped the nearest rock and pulled herself onto the rocky outcrop. While the technique Kagura taught her was keeping her somewhat warm, she could still feel the chill trying to creep into her body.

Mountain climbing. Out of all the things Kagura's brain could have conjured up, she had dragged her to _climb a mountain?_ Kagami had asked for a way to further experiment with her magical abilities, yes, but the jump between play-fighting and scaling a mountain was a little extreme for her tastes.

From above her, Kagura smiled encouragingly at her friend. "You're doing great!"

"Easy...for you...to say..." Kagami panted, the thin layer of gold light enveloping her body flickering faintly. "This whole magic thing...can't exactly be mastered instantly."

"But you're still doing this!" Kagura assured her. "We're almost at the top of the mountain, and you did it through your own efforts!"

That was a partial lie, since Kagura _did_ give an assist to Kagami at least a few times during their ascent. But the fact that Kagami had even made it this far was a testament to how fast she had picked up basic magic, as well as just how resilient she was despite her weak body. However, she still had her limits, and she was nearing hers.

"You've done well!" Kagura repeated. "If you've had enough, I can help you the rest of the way. I was the one who asked you to do this, after all."

Kagami just tried to keep going, but her concentration was wavering. Every time the layer of insulating magic around her faltered even slightly, the sub-zero cold would seep in, making her feel like she was being stabbed with a frigid blade. If she lost concentration completely, Kagami might genuinely freeze to death in moments.

Soon, her ascent started to slow. Noticing this - along with the fact that Kagami was shivering - Kagura just smiled and extended a hand. "Take my hand!"

"Won't it be cold?"

"Not for you!"

Laughing at this, Kagami took her friend's hand. Together, they braved the remainder of the snow-capped peak, finally reaching the summit above the clouds.

"W-Wow..."

There were no other words, or at least no other words that Kagami could think of at the moment. The mountain wasn't _too_ tall, but the view was still incredible. Above low clouds illuminated by the slowly setting sun, and gazing out upon the gorgeous blue lake and coniferous forests that they had hiked through an hour ago, Kagami really felt like she was on top of the world. If she had to complain about one thing, it was that she still couldn't see past the wall of peaks encircling Konis. But the landscape of Konis was still breathtakingly beautiful, and from this angle Kagami could make out all kinds of things that she didn't know existed before, like the islets dotting the surface of the grand lake.

She took a deep breath. Now that she wasn't struggling, she could appreciate just how clear the air was at the peak's summit. Every other place she knew about had a smell to it - Stonewell smelled like earth, her sanctuary smelled like nature, and Zenith smelled like food, to name a few. But here, she smelled...well, nothing but air. The air was cold and completely pure, filling her lungs and flooding her body with a sublime feeling of satisfaction that she didn't even know existed before now.

"Ahhh..." Kagura exhaled. "Is there anything quite like this? Atop a mountain, looking out upon the world?"

"I thought you _lived_ on a mountain overlooking the world."

Kagura just waved her hands defensively. "W-Well, I don't get much time to just go sightseeing. Besides, the land here is quite different."

A nod of agreement in response. "That's true. Everything here is so different. I wonder what lies beyond those mountains..."

This gave Kagura an idea. "Hey, Kagami, do you want to try flying?"

It took Kagami about ten whole seconds to process what her friend had just said. The second it clicked, she just stared at her incredulously. "What...did you say? F-Flying?"

Seeing her shock, Kagura immediately backed down. "A-Ah! W-Well, I can fly with magic, so I thought I could take you with me and fly around. I thought we could admire all of the scenery from up in the sky...but, uh, only if you're okay with it. I-I'm sorry if it's too sudden!"

"No! No, don't apologize!" Kagami replied hurriedly. "I just didn't really know you could do that. I...would love to fly like that."

"R-Really?"

The commoner laughed. "Yes, really! I'm sure every kid dreams of flying like a bird, soaring above the clouds and looking down at the world! And I...I'm just like every kid...or at least, I would like to be. And I'm sure you'll keep both of us safe."

That was all Kagura needed to hear. "Oh, I'm glad! Come on, let's go!"

"But...how does this exactly work?"

In response, the princess just smiled wryly. "I can just make you fly alongside me. You don't need to hang on or anything!"

Kagami was a little intimidated now. "Uhh..."

She didn't get a chance to say anything else before Kagura wrapped them in silvery magic and launched into the sky at breakneck speeds, taking Kagami with her.

Both of them screamed - Kagura from exuberant joy, and Kagami from a mixture of that and terror. Kagami's ears rang from the whistling of the wind around them, as Kagura continued flying - but she wasn't going higher just yet. Kagura skimmed the surface of the clouds for a bit, before stopping abruptly.

Kagami couldn't help but cling to Kagura for safety. "K-K-Kagura! That was too fast!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Kagura apologized. "I got carried away again, didn't I..."

 _Why does Kagura have to apologize and look so sad every time something like this happens?_ Kagami wondered. _It makes me feel...well, sad and apologetic._

Externally, however, she smiled. "No worries! You never fail to amaze me with all of your cool powers! When you said you were considered super strong at Zenith, you clearly meant it."

Kagura giggled softly. "Well, how do you like it? Flying above the clouds..."

Kagami reached down and tried to grab some of the clouds, only to frown when her hands passed through them. "It's awesome. I was secretly hoping you could grab them, though."

The princess laughed as they soared through the sky, running their hands through the fluffy white clouds and marveling at the bizarre feeling of the cool vapor dissipating against their skin. Kagura actually extended her magical influence a little bit, trapping a bundle of clouds in an isolated sphere and carrying it with her.

However, Kagami's mind was already elsewhere, as she spotted a flock of birds and pointed up. "Kagura, let's go there! There are birds!"

Kagura followed her instructions, zooming over to the avian flock. The birds squawked in alarm - they were very pretty little animals, with beady black eyes and feathers that seemed almost glasslike in nature. Each bird was colored a brilliant blue and flecked with white streaks - the same color and pattern as an afternoon sky. While this would have made them virtually invisible earlier, now they dotted the fiery sky like little blue jewels.

"They're...really pretty..." Kagami breathed. "There's so much life that I've never seen before. I haven't seen these birds in any books I've read."

Her friend nodded. "There's a whole branch of people at Zenith for discovering new creatures. They discover new ones every week, but there are still so many that they think are out there...this world is so wonderful!"

 _Is it, though?_ Kagami mused.

A piercing cry interrupted her thoughts as a third party soared into view. A large, fiery-orange bird of prey began circling above them, clearly wanting those smaller birds as a meal. The flock squeaked, their leader apparently giving some kind of command for them to start making evasive turns and rolls in tandem. However, the sunset-tinged bird let out another scream, tucked in its wings, and dive-bombed them.

"A-Aaaah!" Kagura screamed, losing focus and covering her eyes as the bird shot towards them. Fortunately, she still maintained a bit of focus, since the two kids didn't immediately plummet downwards.

Kagami, on the other hand, wanted to keep admiring the birds a bit longer - she had seen the cruelty of nature enough at home. Taking a deep breath and trying to channel her magic as well, she managed to shift her body to intercept the incoming bird. Despite being a bird of prey, it faltered slightly - Kagami was still marginally larger than it was. This hesitation quickly became fear as Kagami raised a hand and willed a spark of light to burst to life before her, flashing light in its eyes.

Screaming, the orange bird broke off its attack and flew away, disoriented.

Kagami breathed a sigh of relief as Kagura peeked between her fingers. "Did you...drive it away?"

A nod from Kagami, and Kagura's jaw dropped. "W-Whoa. You really are brave. I wanted to protect those birds too, but I...got taken off guard. S-Sorry..."

If she wanted to, Kagura probably could have driven the bird off with as much effort as breathing, or outright wiped it off the face of the planet with some kind of absurd magical attack. For her to be scared by something so beneath her was...odd, to say the least.

_But it's...kind of endearing._

However, the bird was circling back for round two. The same trick wouldn't work twice, so Kagami was expecting it to go all-in on her with its second attack. That would hurt a lot if it hit her - however, this time Kagura was prepared to defend her friend.

Then a second, much louder roar made them both jump - well, as much as they could jump in midair, anyways.

Casting a shadow over the pair, a huge creature covered in jet-black, scale-like feathers soared over them. Rather than a bird, the bizarre creature looked more like a huge aerial fish of sorts, sporting ethereal fins, a shark-like tail, and a pair of curved black wings like some kind of dragon. Its body was taut with musculature, and instead of a regular mouth, its head terminated in a serrated, gleaming beak.

"Uwaaah! W-W-What is that?!" Kagura screamed in fright.

"D-Don't ask me! Aaahhh!" Kagami screamed back.

The orange bird from before screeched and tried to bail, but the huge newcomer shot straight towards them. Unfortunately for the two children, they were in between it and a prospective meal - and it showed no sign of stopping, its beak opening wide enough to swallow Kagami whole.

"A-Ah!" Kagura stuttered, fumbling as she tried to prepare some kind of spell. 

Kagami yelled in fright again, letting loose another flash of light. However, this creature was totally unfazed by it. Her decision-making admittedly impaired by the sudden rush, she decided to take a risk and use a magical attack of her own, despite her catastrophic prior failures. She willed for fire to manifest in front of her and blow their attacker away - imagining a firecracker going off.

To her surprise, fire _did_ manifest in front of her. But the fact still remained that her magic was still too underdeveloped to actually control it. Before she could direct her attack, her unstable fireball exploded violently.

On the upside, the ensuing burst of force and flame surprised the fishlike beast enough to stop it in its tracks. However, it had the unfortunate side effect of sending Kagami flying, tearing through most of her thin insulating barrier while knocking her out of Kagura's flight spell. As the sky's cold instantly gripped Kagami and all but paralyzed her, she couldn't even emit any terrified sounds as she plummeted downwards.

"Kagami!" Kagura screamed desperately, flaring with silver radiance. With a wave of her hand, the jet-black beast was violently launched away by a blast of silvery-blue light, the ensuing shockwave knocking away all of the other fleeing birds as well. As all of the avians scattered and fled for their lives, she dived straight down at her falling friend, ignoring the ear-splitting whine in her ears caused by her high-speed descent. Just as Kagami fell through the lowest layer of clouds, Kagura managed to wrap her in her arms, before turning around and shooting back into the sky.

Feeling how cold the smaller girl was, Kagura quickly re-established an insulating barrier around her before using magic to heat her up. Soon, Kagami's eyes fluttered open again as she coughed. "Ka...gura?" 

Before she could say anything else, two things happened at once. The first was them breaching the upper layer of clouds in Kagura's reckless flight, soaring into a new region of totally empty, cloudless aether. The second was Kagura tightly squeezing Kagami in her embrace.

"You...scared me so much." Kagura muttered, almost angrily. As her luminous golden eyes reflected the setting sunlight, it became evident that there were sparkling tears gathering at their corners. "Don't ever do something like that again! You have no idea how scared I was...if you had gotten hurt, or died, I...I...what would I have done? What would I do if you were gone?!"

Kagami was stunned as Kagura hugged her even tighter, her grip bordering on painful. "Please...I don't ever want to lose you."

"I'm...sorry, Kagura." Kagami replied quietly, returning the hug. "I'm sorry for scaring you so much. And I do know how scared you were...if the roles had been reversed, I...well, I wouldn't want to lose you that way, either."

Kagura couldn't help but openly sob a little, her fallen tears drifting through the clouds and blending in with the rain falling upon the land. "Yeah...but you were really brave, trying to use fire magic even though you knew it might go wrong. I...got scared, again, and I couldn't defend us in time. Every time I see you do stuff like this, I keep thinking that you should have been the princess instead of me."

"I would never be cut out for that kind of job." Kagami replied adamantly. Then, she laughed and jokingly tugged at Kagura's sleeve. "Dresses aren't my thing."

"Kagami, that wasn't what I...oh, never mind. Y-You're just trying to make me smile now. You're so hopeless, Kagami...joking at a time like this..."

"Well, can you blame me?"

In a snap, the stress of their prior shenanigans was dispelled. For the next half hour, the two of them hovered above the clouds, talking excitedly while taking in the scenery. From their vantage point up in the atmosphere, they could gaze upon so much of the vibrant land beneath them, and they had plenty of fun pointing out landmarks and wondering what the lands unknown to them held. At one point, Kagura even spotted an aurora forming in the distance, the colorful bands of prismatic light filling them with awe. But before they could investigate further, it vanished - a transient yet breathtaking sight.

The sun soon began to set, and the lights of the stars started piercing the dark canopy of the night sky, one by one. And as they watched this side by side, both Kagami and Kagura were filled with a feeling that they didn't feel too often.

They felt grateful to be alive in this world.

Words could not have described Ivan and Elise's sheer panic when they saw Kagami fall through the clouds, with Kagura in hot pursuit. Their combined sigh of relief once they saw that Kagura had saved her and was idling in the sky could have been heard across the lake.

But now, the children were back. They hadn't gotten hurt at all, but they were still tired and hungry from their exploits. For dinner, Ivan and Elise had tried bringing a peculiar food from a distant land - their cooks said it was called "curry". It hadn't even started circulating throughout Zenith, much less Lucia, meaning that Kagura - and now Kagami - would be just about the first ones to try it.

Kagura had been a little confused as to how it was prepared - it was an odd, yellowy-brown powder that honestly looked more like an incendiary than food. Apparently it was composed of a myriad of different spices and herbs, which had been pre-crushed to save them the trouble. The princess had accidentally sniffed a bit of it and suffered from a coughing fit for her troubles, the strong spice and aroma of the powder burning her sinuses. Kagami had promptly taken over, following some instructions from Ivan - the powder was meant to be turned into a paste, then poured over something like rice.

Not trusting her fire magic anymore, Kagami drew a pail of water from the nearby well before starting a campfire with some rocks and metal implements they had on hand - neither Ivan nor Elise allowed Kagami to use their enchanted swords as fire starters. Soon, she had a crackling flame going, which she used to boil the pot of water.

Kagura recovered from her coughing fit and got to work as well, taking another pot of water and quickly boiling some rice in it with magic. Using her power to keep the rice warm, she started cooking the other recommended items. While Ivan and Elise offered to help, she wanted to try cooking without it this time - and Kagami was also all over the task, putting her more thorough cooking experience to use.

In what seemed like a flash, Kagami had chopped up the potatoes and carrots, while Kagura had cut slices of beef that Ivan and Elise had already cooked. Dumping the spicy powder and assorted ingredients into the pot of boiling water, the two of them watched as the mixture simmered, slowly transforming into a pasty stew. Kagura stirred the thickening sauce with a ladle, while occasionally sniffing the pot. "It smells...weird, but good. What do you think?"

She turned to Kagami for an opinion, only to find that her friend was in a bit of a daze from the overwhelming smell - it took all of her willpower to avoid drooling. Kagura just laughed and kept stirring.

Soon, their meal was ready. Kagura spooned rice onto four plates - despite Ivan and Elise protesting that they could make their own dinners - while Kagami used the ladle to pour the sauce all over the rice. The four of them sat down around the campfire and dug in.

"Ah!" Kagami coughed, nearly spitting out some rice in the process. "It's spicy..."

Kagura giggled. "Ehehehe...it's good, though, isn't it? It tastes completely different from anything I've ever eaten."

"It overwhelms my senses and burns my tongue if I eat it too fast. I love it."

The young princess flashed her another smile, before frowning slightly. "We put potatoes in here, right? I don't see any..."

Kagami gulped and realized that she must have dozed off while scooping their portions. However, her plate had a couple potatoes, and she was more than willing to share. "No worries, I've got some. Here, have some of mine."

Kagura beamed. "Oh, thank you so much!"

Smiling, the smaller girl scooped up a potato slice and raised it to Kagura's face. "Open wide!"

"W-Wait! Hold on!" Kagura said suddenly, her eyes widening. "You don't have to...I can eat it myself!"

Kagami smiled, her expression falling on the border of gentle and mischievous. "You fed me during lunch. It's only fair that I feed you now!"

The princess was starting to turn pink. "But that's your spoon! You can't just feed me with that! Isn't that unclean or something? After this, you'd be eating my-"

The commoner cut her off. "No biggie! I'll just wipe it, or something. What's the worst that could happen?"

"But...but..."

"No buts! Say ah!"

Kagura finally relented, opening her mouth. "A-Ahh..."

Carefully, Kagami spoon-fed her friend the potato. She watched as Kagura chewed thoughtfully. "This stuff really suits potatoes well."

"It also goes well with everything else." Kagami added, scooping up a small pile of assorted foodstuffs and raising the spoon to Kagura's mouth again. "Try it!"

"A-Aaaahh..." Kagura mumbled louder as she opened her mouth again - Kagami's spoonful was a little on the big side. She somehow managed to eat it without spilling anything, and nodded in agreement, mumbling through a mouthful of rice. "You're right."

Kagami laughed - with her cheeks stuffed like this, Kagura looked like one of those woodland creatures they had seen earlier. Having had enough of her fun, she retired to the well and used some water to wash off her spoon. Wiping it down, she continued her meal, savoring the overwhelming bliss of the exotic food. She thought that she'd stop enjoying the far more meager food back at home if Kagura fed her too much food intended for royalty, but she never lost her taste for it. It was good to stay humble.

As Kagami ravenously devoured her dinner, Kagura giggled. "Kagami...you look like one of those cute little forest critters, with your cheeks stuffed like that."

"E-Ehh? I...haha, I guess I do..."

_What goes around, comes around, I guess._

Soon, they had finished their dinner. Ivan and Elise had left the kids alone and kept an eye on them from a distance, but their dinner seemed pretty talkative, too. Once everyone was done, Ivan and Elise prepared to wash all the dishes, but Kagura dismissed them.

"You always do so much for me!" she had said. "Take a break, and let me do some work this time. Kagami will surely help me, too!"

So, the kids had taken care of the dishes, leaving Ivan and Elise bewildered. Kagura really was a totally different person when away from home...to an almost alarming degree. It was painfully clear that this was the real Kagura, however - the way she carried herself just seemed so much more genuine. This Kagura wasn't a dignified princess, like everyone wanted her to be - she was a carefree, spirited little girl. Neither of them knew what the nobles were trying to do - perhaps such strict upbringings had worked on the previous Lucian rulers, but a person like Kagura was clearly incompatible with it.

However, after doing the dishes, both kids were yawning. The retainers didn't know the exact extent of what those two had pulled in the afternoon, but it had looked tiring. Ivan and Elise had already set up a few tents for them to sleep in.

As Kagura admired the tent, Kagami bowed deeply to them. "Again...thank you so much. I'm honored to have experienced all of this...someone like me is undeserving of such good treatment."

Elise wanted to tell her she deserved it more than most, but the pressure of her curse was starting to creep up on her again. Her body and mind wanted to just ignore her and turn away, or even berate her - but her heart knew better. Sighing shakily, she gave the small child the best reply she could muster. "Don't mention it. You...made Kagura happy, after all."

Kagami nodded gratefully and threw herself into the tent, with Kagura following shortly after. 

Elise grit her teeth - if someone who _wanted_ to respect Kagami like herself couldn't even muster a compliment, how would people who had no obligation to respect her treat her? She couldn't imagine how much she suffered in her daily life. _Damn it. I still can't just say she's a good person. Blasted curse..._

"So..." Ivan interrupted, "I'll take the night shift."

Elise raised a hand. "I'm going to stop you right there. You took the night shift the last time. This time, I'll stay up. _You_ need to go get some sleep."

"Did I?" Ivan retorted, turning away. "You took it last time. Your memory must be failing you. Please, allow me."

"Ivan." Elise's voice was dead serious. "I will be staying up tonight."

"No, you won't! You need to get some rest!"

"And what about you? You want to become an insomniac?"

As the two knights started walking away, arguing about their duties, Kagura giggled. "Hehe. They're always bickering like this. It's like they're an old married couple."

Kagami frowned. "They're...not?"

"Ahaha, I get why you'd feel that!" Kagura laughed. "They're always found together, and they're super close, but that isn't the way it is. Apparently, their families were very close to each other, so they were raised as close friends. It makes sense that they'd develop a strong bond, giving that they grew up together and pursued the same path."

Kagami nodded. "I can see that. I don't know them as well as you do, though. In fact, well, I'm pretty sure they still don't really like me."

A sigh from the princess. "That curse really is relentless, huh? I'm sure they're trying their best to like you. You guys have gotten friendlier over the years, right?"

Kagami nodded, staring around the tent. It was a cozy little place, with a few mattresses, puffy blankets, and plush pillows stuffed into it. The front and top of the tent were covered by nigh-transparent netting, letting them see outside. From the front window, they could see the crackling campfire; from the top one, the starry heavens.

Kagura, who had just wrapped herself up in a warm blanket like some kind of dumpling, decided to ask another question - she was far from falling asleep. "Kagami...did you enjoy t-"

"I loved it."

"W-What? I didn't even finish my question!"

Kagami laughed softly, rummaging around for a blanket of her own. "Today was one of the best days in my life. I'm so grateful that I was able to experience all of this with you...you could ask me anything about today, and I would love it."

"How about the fact that today is about to end?"

"...Why would you do this to me?"

Kagura laughed. "Okay, but I'm glad you loved it. I loved it too...I don't get many chances to go out like this. I felt...well, free."

"I'm glad to hear it, Kagura. You deserve just as much. I can't imagine how much you've had to change yourself for your life back at Zenith..."

The princess sighed, peeking out of the blanket fortress she had made. "My life at Zenith...is an uncertain one. My future seems, well, decided for me. I don't know exactly what it is, nor if I will like it. But I can see that everyone has their idea of who I'm going to become in the future, for better or for worse."

However, Kagami wasn't listening too closely, having realized what Kagura had been doing. "Kagura? What is that?"

"Oh, this? It's my blanket fort!" Kagura explained cheekily. "It's super fluffy, and warms me up. It feels like getting a huge hug..."

Kagami raised her hands and advanced on her. "Well, you stole all but one blanket in this tent to build that, so I want in!"

"A-Ah! Kagami, don't pull so hard!" Kagura squeaked as Kagami started playfully yanking at her not-so-impenetrable stronghold, looking for a way in. "I'm sure you'll fit in, so please, just relax!"

Eventually, Kagami created a breach in the wall of blankets and squirmed inside the dark space. Almost instantly, the first thing Kagami felt was the _weight_ \- Kagura had stacked so many blankets that they now made Kagami feel like she was being flattened. The second thing was that like she said, it was incredibly warm and fluffy. Kagami had been here for all of five seconds and she already wanted to doze off. Not helping this was the presence of a soft, warm, and very squirmy pillow beside her.

"K-Kagami..." Kagura stuttered. "I-It tickles...please, stop moving..."

"You're the one who's moving, Kagura!"

Realizing this, the princess relaxed. "Ah...sorry."

Huddling like this made Kagami feel...well, comfortable. However, the growing heat and pressure made it a bit too much for a prolonged stay. "Okay, you know what? I don't think I can handle this, so I'm out of here."

Blindly feeling around for openings, Kagami ended up shoving Kagura a few times - she could tell because whenever she touched something abnormally soft and warm, the princess would let out a little squeak and squirm wildly. She really was ticklish.

With all of their thrashing, soon the blanket fort was in pieces. Kagura just stared at the devastation they had wrought, while Kagami smiled nervously. "Whoops..."

Kagura just laughed it off and bundled herself up in a single blanket this time. However, soon afterwards, she decided to ask another question. "Hey, Kagami?"

"What is it?"

"...Do you have a dream for the future?"

That took Kagami off guard. "A...dream? Heh...asking the hard questions, huh."

Kagura looked slightly nervous. "I-If you can't answer, that's okay. If you don't want to, that's also okay!"

"No! No, I'd love to share." Kagami replied hastily. "It's just that...well, it's hard for me to think of what my future's gonna hold. This curse has really done a number on me...I'll probably have trouble finding people that will take me. And worse still, my body is small and frail...physical jobs are going to be hard, if not impossible."

"Yeah, you've got it rough. Again...I'm really sorry." Kagura muttered.

"Don't be sorry! It wasn't your fault! You're making me feel bad."

Kagura laid back and sighed. "Yeah, I won't lie - it'll be a challenge. But if anyone knows how brave, determined, and kind you are, it's me. And I'm totally confident that you'll be able to do well, whatever you choose."

Kagami stared at the campfire. Her sapphire eyes reflected the flickering light from the campfire, the specks of light flashing within their depths making them look more like starry vistas than the oceans they usually resembled. Kagura was mesmerized by the display, only for Kagami's voice to draw her attention. "You know what? Before, I wasn't _too_ sure about what I wanted to do. But now, I think I might have some idea of a goal in mind. When I grow up...I might want to be an adventurer, or a mercenary."

Kagura took a second to process that. Then, she gasped. "Huh?"

The commoner girl laid down and rolled herself up in a blanket. "Yup. Maybe I'll work until I can get out of Lucia, and then start learning magic. Then, I might train in combat...maybe become some kind of mage, since my magic seems stronger than my physical ability. And then, I could make a living doing jobs for people. Not only would I be able to gain the power to survive and thrive in this harsh world, I'd still be able to help people - to make good use of my life. And...well, a free life as an adventuring mercenary sounds fun, I guess."

Kagura pondered that for a moment. Then, she nodded in agreement before lying down beside her friend. "Well, you've got a good point there. It's an ambitious goal, Kagami...but all of the points you just told me make sense. It really does seem like a nice life...you'd probably enjoy it. And I trust that you can make it there."

"Thanks." Kagami smiled warmly. "Do you have a dream for the future?"

In response, Kagura stared at the starry sky as if drawing inspiration from it. "Um...I'm not sure if I _have_ a future. I've got a lot to carry on my back, and the kingdom needs a new ruler. Soon, I'll have to lead the whole kingdom...and every bit of training I'm going through is shaping me towards that."

"Yeah, but forget about that for a moment. Let's just say you could choose any future you wanted. What would you want to be?"

Kagura rubbed her head in her pillow as if shaking ideas out of her brain, only for her hair to come out a frizzled mess. "Hmmm...I want a life that's carefree. I want to go exploring. I want to live close to nature, and enjoy everything the world has to offer. Maybe a farmer, or something. Although if I had to name one thing, I guess...well, I want to be an explorer."

Kagami smiled, brushing the static-charged silver strands out of the princess' face. "Aw, then you could have been my adventuring buddy."

"Hehe, I guess so…"

Kagura trailed off as deep regret started setting in. Thinking about a potential future outside of the one she had been given made her wistful. If she hadn't been born the princess of Lucia, could she have achieved that new life? Living as a free spirit, exploring the world with a dear friend at her side?

All of that was in an unattainable future, though. A world that Kagura could gaze at forever, but never touch. Quietly, the princess changed the subject. "Kagami...can you see the stars?"

She was worried that Kagami would call her out for dodging the topic, but she seemed satisfied to entertain her. "Yeah...they're so beautiful, aren't they? Well, I see them all the time, but you said it was too bright to see them back at Zenith - so this is a good chance for you to admire their beauty. Well, it's not like seeing them all the time changes my view on them - they remain just as amazing as always.

Kagura could only nod. "I found it hard to believe that they were balls of gas and fire like the sun. When I was younger, I always really thought they were like jewels in the sky...like crystals floating through space."

"Well, you learn things as you grow up." Kagami said simply. Then, she smiled. "For example, I just learned the moon was made of cheese from a traveling explorer."

"...No way. I could swear it's made of rock! Isn't that what you learned?"

Kagami's grin widened a little bit. "Well, how would you know? You've never been to the moon. The only people that have gone to space are the people on the other continents...especially Sentrius. What if our info is wrong?"

"...You have a point. Maybe you are right!" Kagura said enthusiastically. "If the moon really is made of cheese, it must be some really good cheese! Man, now I want to try it...it's probably super stale, though..."

"I was pulling your leg." Kagami admitted. She had wanted to go further, but Kagura had taken the bait so easily that she'd feel guilty if she did. _She's so gullible..._

Naturally, Kagura went beet red at the fact she had been bamboozled, whining and playfully hitting Kagami on the shoulder. However, she soon laughed it off too, and the two of them continued their idle chatter. 

The stars spread out above them, the flickering light of the waning campfire bathed them in a dim light, and the gentle ambience of the forested lake almost embraced them as they whispered to each other. They talked about the simplest things, yet those things meant so much to them.

Eventually, drowsiness started overtaking them. Kagami curled herself up in her blanket and instantly passed out seconds after she had wished Kagura sweet dreams. Staring at her sleeping friend, Kagura hesitantly shifted herself over, reached out, and wrapped the smaller girl in her arms.

Kagami's slender body fit snugly in her embrace, and Kagura laughed softly. It really felt different than hugging a pillow, like she usually did. The warmth of a living being that truly cared about her...was something Kagura seldom experienced, and desperately craved. Tightly embracing her sleepy friend, hearing her breathing up close, and feeling the heartbeat that was slightly out of sync with hers...it filled Kagura with an overwhelming emotion that was totally unfamiliar to her, yet warmed her like a bonfire.

She was so lost in this foreign emotion that she didn't notice Kagami's gradually accelerating heartbeat. Only after a while did she realize that Kagami's eyes were wide open, and staring at her in what looked like awe.

"Y-Y-You're awake?" Kagura squeaked in panic.

"Ehehe...you woke me up, Kagura. I...can't believe you..."

The princess desperately tried to squirm out of the hug while cooking up an excuse, but Kagami simply wrapped her arms around Kagura as well.

"...I didn't say to stop..."

Kagami squeezed her friend tighter. Hugs were a foreign concept to her, but she still constantly dreamed of being hugged. So this was...a surreal experience, to say the least. Kagura's soft, regal clothing provided the illusion of her being borderline fluffy - or, at least it _would_ have been an illusion if Kagura herself didn't seem somehow soft and plushy to hug.

Both of them wanted to cry. Not because they were sad, but because of the raw emotion they felt. What was it? Was it good or bad? Neither of them knew. All they knew was that an embrace like this filled them with an overwhelming...something that seemed to spill out of their very souls.

The cuddling children quickly fell asleep, the sounds of woodland crickets, soft breathing and quiet heartbeats becoming their lullaby. Holding each other, they blissfully sank into the embrace - as if to take the unfiltered emotion flowing through them, pull it into themselves, and never let it go.

Their dreams were filled with warmth, and visions of a peaceful world.

By the time the morning rolled around, the tent was a mess. Their minds and hearts perceived their sleep as deep and comfortable, but their bodies didn't seem to agree. Even though they had subconsciously broken off their embrace eventually, a combination of their restless movement and incessant sleep-cuddling had strewn blankets all over the place, making the tent look like a disaster zone.

Kagami had been rudely awakened when a sleeping Kagura rolled on top of her. The shrill scream that the small girl had emitted wasn't something she was proud of. Unable to shove her friend off of her, she repeatedly slapped Kagura in the face until she woke up and got off of her, before defusing the stream of apologies that followed.

Ivan and Elise, however, were already packing up and preparing to go. They had allotted a time of one day for Kagura's trip, and exceeding that time would be less than ideal. Shooing the sleepy kids out of the tent, they packed everything back into their carriage before setting off.

The plan was to drop Kagami off near Stonewell, as discreetly as possible to avoid any further suspicion. However, before she departed, Kagura wanted to say her farewells.

"Kagami...thank you for accompanying me on this trip." Kagura said solemnly. "I was so, so happy to have experienced all of these wonderful things with you."

Kagami shook her head abashedly. "No, I should be thanking you! You gave me the opportunity to experience things I'd have no hope of ever seeing in a normal lifetime."

The princess laughed gently. "My secret's been exposed to the court, and my duties were set to pile up regardless. I don't know the next time I'll see you...so I wanted to thank you now, before it's too late."

The thought filled Kagami's heart with a sense of hollow dread, but she gave her one friend a reassuring smile regardless. "That doesn't matter! I'll always be waiting for you, right? Who cares if it takes days, weeks, months...eventually, you _will_ come back, because I have faith that you will somehow! And when you do come back, I promise you - I'll be there with my arms open!"

Kagami was getting dangerously optimistic, and she knew that. But deep beneath the convoluted layers of her psyche, she was an optimist at heart. _I can never hope normally...let me indulge myself, just once._

To her surprise, Kagura leapt at her. "K-Kagami!"

"W-Whoa! Kagura, you're gonna-"

Too late. Kagura's affectionate flying hug bowled Kagami over, sending both of them rolling along the dusty path. Ivan and Elise leapt off the carriage in alarm, but didn't intervene just yet.

Kagami was the first one to stand up again, brushing the dust out of her clothes and hair. "K-Kagura...if you're going to do that, at least tell me first!"

Kagura laughed sheepishly. "I-I couldn't stop myself. Sorry."

The commoner's sapphire eyes twinkled mischievously as she extended a hand to help her up. "You didn't seem like the person to lose control of yourself! I guess composing yourself as a royal probably took a toll on you. Well, if this is your only time to let loose, I'd be glad to-"

The approaching sound of stomping boots made her falter. Turning around, her heart sank as she saw a small group of soldiers running towards her. All of them wore metallic plate armor like Ivan and Elise - and none of them looked happy.

"Princess! Thank goodness we were on patrol here!" one of them called out. "Is this heathen trying to lay her hands on you? How dare you!"

Kagami raised her hands as the guards bore down on her. "Listen, I wasn't even-"

She didn't get a chance to say anything else before an armored fist slammed into her head, sending her reeling. "I don't care about what you've got to say, girl. I saw what happened - it's your fault the princess is covered in all this dust. You dare to pollute her with your filth?"

Kagami wanted to protest that they were _completely_ off, but she couldn't muster the strength to talk back - and now that she wasn't in Konis, she was powerless once again. She was already dazed from the punch, but a second soldier kicked her in the stomach hard enough to send her frail form tumbling across the ground. "You've got some nerve! Probably tried to attack the princess or something."

Kagura screamed in horror as Ivan and Elise raised their hands, only to freeze up. They wanted to help Kagami, but...

"Hey, wait a second..." one of the guards said, pointing at the struggling Kagami. "Isn't this the girl that princess Kagura broke out of prison that other day?"

The guard attacking her fell silent. Then, his face contorted in rage as he raised his foot. "You? YOU'RE the one the princess was worried about? Don't make me laugh!"

Kagami braced herself as the metal greaves slammed onto her head, the pressure threatening to crack her skull against the ground. As two soldiers started kicking dust at her, another one paced around her, glaring down at her. "When I heard that a mere commoner had drawn the princess' attention, I didn't buy it. Then, I convinced myself that she must have found someone truly extraordinary...but _you?"_

The girl was too dizzy to see straight, so she only noticed a faint blur as the guard picked her up by her tunic. "How did someone like you catch her attention? A tiny, sickly villager girl...tell me, little girl, what's so special about you?"

Kagami was slammed into the ground, before the knight stepped back and tensed herself, her voice dripping with... _jealousy?_ "Tell me, what made you so special that the living future of Lucia would take notice of an insignificant, tiny little insect like you?!"

The knight kicked Kagami in the stomach once again, and the force made Kagami feel like one of her organs had been ruptured. Fire shot through her body, and all she could do was let out a scream that seemed to shake the trees themselves.

Kagura had been transfixed in horror up until now, but hearing Kagami's bloodcurdling scream spurred her into action. "That's _enough!"_

In a flash of light, Kagura dashed to her friend, snatching her out of the air before she could hit the dirt again. Mustering as much of a glare as she could, Kagura clutched Kagami's broken, bleeding form tightly to herself and nearly screamed an order. "Knights of Lucia! As your princess, I order you to _stand down!"_

The effect was immediate. All of the knights instantly froze up, before stepping back and standing at attention. All of them had looks of utter bewilderment plastered on their faces - why did the princess care so much about this commoner girl?

Kagura waved her hand over Kagami as golden light flowed into her, washing away all her pain and injuries. Cradled in the princess' arms, the commoner laughed. "Heh...well, it's far from a secret now, is it?"

"I don't care. I...can't just stand there and let you get hurt!"

"What is this?" the guard from before asked as respectfully as possible. "This village child is not worth your notice! Someone like her is unfit to even be in your presence, so why would you..."

Kagura glared at her, and she instantly fell silent under her gaze. "She has a name. This is Kagami, my best friend. And she means more to me than you could think."

"Princess, listen to yourself! The king and queen would never endorse-"

After pitting their will against Kagami's curse up until now, Elise broke free. "Cease your hostilities. As far as I'm concerned, princess Kagura has been instructed that she shouldn't interact with people besides nobility. Firstly, there was nothing saying she was forbidden from it. And secondly, there is nothing wrong with desiring a friend."

Ivan followed suit, glaring at them. "And who are you to judge the princess? If you're going to demean Kagami here for her status, then _you_ yourself are a mere knight, tasked with such menial duties as patrolling the commoner villages. Would you be bold enough to challenge the princess of Lucia?"

Elise followed up on his scathing remark. "And I heard...something peculiar in the way you attacked this girl here. Don't tell me, miss knight...are you jealous? Do you wish the living future of Lucia would acknowledge you knights more, like how she's acknowledged this 'lowly' commoner girl?"

Turns out Elise was good at reading people, because the guard turned as white as a sheet. Of course, there was the whole "mystical curse" part, but she couldn't be bothered to explain that - not that they would buy it, anyways.

The elite retainers' twin gazes of crimson and cerulean pierced straight through the patrol knight's armor, silencing her immediately. Then Ivan turned his eyes towards the others, who shrank back in fear.

"Listen, you lot." Ivan growled. "If all you care about is that Kagura's befriended someone of lower status, and you believe that fact gives you power over this girl and the right to bully her, then let me remind you that using that logic, _I have power over you._ And as your general, I will add my authority to that of the princess - you are to stop your hostilities towards Kagami, and you are not to lay a hand on her as she goes back to her home. And once this fiasco is over, you will treat this event as if it had never happened. Do. You. Understand?"

All of the guards bowed stiffly. "Y-Yes...sir." 

Elise hopped back onto the carriage, shooting the guards a look that could have seared through lead. "Then there should be no problems. You have your orders. So what are you waiting for? Get out of my sight!"

Kagura was stunned as she put Kagami down. _Ivan and Elise can be...really scary when they want to._

As the guards marched away, Kagami squeaked as the retainers turned their lethal gazes towards her, only for their expressions to soften a little. Ivan knelt down to as close as he could get to her eye level, and gave her a reassuring look. "Go home, Kagami. You will be safe, for now."

Elise nodded. "And Kagami...may we meet again soon."

As Kagami bowed deeply to them and ran off, Elise sighed. She maybe shouldn't have lost her temper. But after seeing just how close Kagami and Kagura had gotten over the course of one camping trip, she couldn't stand idly anymore. It had become apparent that they truly, deeply cared for each other - and not only was she defending one that the princess treasured so much, she was also defending a genuinely good person.

It was a shame that the chances of either of them getting what they wanted were somewhat slim. But in the deepest regions of their hearts, both retainers secretly wished them luck - that they'd find the futures they desired despite it all.

A few hours later, Kagura sat in her study, reading a thick textbook on law and diplomacy. Now that her time off was over, it was back to business for her - she had let her more dignified persona take the helm as she continued studying all the material the royal court had given her. She didn't dislike it...but there was something that just felt so empty about it.

Her stupor was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, before Ivan and Elise stepped into the study. "Welcome, you two. Is there something you need?"

"Well..." Ivan muttered, "The king and queen have requested your presence. They want to see you in the main strategy room."

Kagura stood up. "...I see. I assume they know everything?"

Elise nodded. "Yeah...we were taken in for questioning. We tried to evade the questions as much as we could, but the presence of the rulers was overwhelming."

"Not to mention they're quite versed in mental arts." Ivan added. "If we resisted enough, they probably could have gleaned the info from our minds."

"I understand. You're not to fault for any of this, don't worry." Kagura muttered, steeling herself for the confrontation. "Were you punished?"

"Surprisingly, no. They just sent us out and told us to continue our hard work. Something seems off here."

Kagura frowned. "Well, I'll get to the bottom of this soon enough."

The princess began her trip to the throne room, vaguely aware of the odd looks she was getting. Evidently, word of her shenanigans had started circulating among the castle's inhabitants, although nobody would dare saying anything about it to her face. She didn't show it, but she was pretty nervous - what would her parents say about her actions? Would she never see Kagami again?

Soon, she pushed the strategy room doors ajar - and sure enough, Gustav and Aika were there waiting for her. Her parents were dressed in regal silver clothing very similar to her own, except for the secondary colors - instead of sky blues, Gustav and Aika's attires were indigo and violet, respectively. Off to the side, Kagura caught a glimpse of their battle regalia lying on a table, their platinum plates shimmering faintly.

"Ah, Kagura. You're here." Gustav said offhandedly, sliding a plate of biscuits onto the table. "Please, take a seat."

Kagura bowed to them and sat.

Aika took a seat, laced her fingers, and sighed. "Kagura, you're a perceptive young lady. I trust that you know what we've called you here for, and I want you to be as open with us as possible - so we can work out these problems."

The young princess didn't reply.

"...Have you really become friends with a commoner girl from Stonewell? That person named Kagami?"

Kagura couldn't help but nod.

Aika nodded back. "You remember what we told you, right? You are our heiress, who will lead Lucia one day. You stand at the zenith of the realm's hierarchy. So, you really shouldn't be consorting with too many people beneath you - especially those at the very bottom."

"That doesn't matter to me." Kagura retorted. "I live a life of privilege here, but there are no people who want to truly befriend me. Everyone wants to serve me or mold me into the ideal princess...but I don't even know if anyone really cares for me. You even told Ivan and Elise that they aren't allowed to get closer to me."

There was no magic in the air. Neither Gustav nor Aika were using any of their mental arts to coerce answers out of their daughter. Kagura just felt like this was a chance to tell her parents how she really felt about things - they _had_ told her to be open, after all. She was one of the few who had the right to talk freely to the king and queen, so she may as well use that right.

Gustav coughed. "Pardon? But you quite frequently meet with other noble children your age. What about them? Why did you choose a village girl over them?"

"They don't want to be friends." Kagura said simply. "In fact, they don't even want to approach me. Am I that socially inept? Or is it just that my status makes people fear me?"

"That's true." Aika admitted. "Well, you _are_ far above them."

Sighing, Kagura went on. "When I was younger, I grew curious about the places I wasn't allowed to head to - you kept saying that they're worthless, but I disagree. And then I met Kagami...she was kind to me. Kagami taught me the meaning of friendship, happiness, emotion...she was just so wonderful to be together with. She was the only one who was willing to look past my status, and see me as a person, not a princess. And I was the only one who would accept her, either...since _you_ threw a curse meant for me onto her, condemning her to a life of hate and misery."

Gustav's eyes widened. "She's the one who received the curse? Okay, I'll admit that changes a few things."

"...Why did you doom her like that? Why did you ruin her life?"

"Kagura, please." Aika implored. "The hierarchy exists for a reason. Those at the top are naturally more important than the ones at the bottom, and those on the bottom may serve the ones above them. And you, Kagura, exist at the very top. We couldn't let the curse stay on you - choosing between a commoner and our child and heir, we could only choose the former."

Kagura was aghast. "Then acknowledge her! You left her to be erased, to be forgotten by history! She sacrificed herself, and you're just going to ignore her? And now you're trying to stop me from befriending her?"

"If anything, she should feel honored to have given her life to the princess!"

"I can't believe this! You hurt her...so much!"

Gustav raised a hand before things could escalate. "Calm down! That's not the point of this meeting! Kagura, I just want to ask you some questions. Kagura...are you friends with this girl?"

"Yes! She's my dearest friend!"

The king sat down and sighed. "Even though you're the princess and she's a commoner? Among the lowest of the Lucian people?"

Kagura remained determined. "That doesn't matter. Her status means nothing to me...it's her heart that counts, and her heart shines as bright as gold!"

"Then how much does this friendship matter to you? What are you willing to give up for it?"

This gave the princess pause. "I just want to be able to spend time with her, and be happy! I want to lead and serve the kingdom too, but surely I'm still allowed to be friends with a commoner! Surely...I'm allowed to be happy, and make a wonderful person happy!"

Gustav breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. Then in that case, we'll formally allow it."

"...What?"

The rulers had discussed this several times earlier. Aika had been somewhat angry that Kagura was throwing aside the Lucian hierarchy that had held steadfast for generations - the values that she wholeheartedly believed. Gustav had been more confused that a princess would even desire friendship so much - every ruler before that, including himself, had done just fine with a strict upbringing, the success of their kingdom being their ultimate reward.

But they understood that as much as they had tried to teach Kagura their ways of thinking, it clearly hadn't worked. From Kagura's prison break, it was obvious that trying to punish Kagami - or worse, killing her - would only make things worse. Aika feared that Kagura might shirk her duties should Kagami be harmed, or perhaps even rebel against the kingdom itself. However, their number one priority was to ensure the future of Lucia, and to do that they had to ensure that Kagura was willing to take on the role of its future leader.

Now, though, it was clear. Kagura wanted to be friends with Kagami, but her loyalty to Lucia was also deeply seated. So, Gustav took the chance. This was their optimal choice - let Kagura continue her friendship to keep her happy, but make sure she can still complete all the tasks required of her as their heiress.

Kagura was still flummoxed. "You...would really let me do that? You'd allow me to go see Kagami, without me having to do it secretly?"

Gustav nodded. "Listen, Kagura. We...well, this friendship raises a lot of concerns for us, but the biggest one is that we feared it'd stunt your capabilities as our heiress. If you can assure us that you will still work hard for the future of this kingdom, if you can assure us that you'll grow up to be a strong leader...we'll let you continue this little friendship."

Kagura wanted to scream. Was this real life, or was it just fantasy? Her parents had just approved of their friendship...Kagami would be thrilled!

Aika cleared her throat. "But we need you to understand what's at stake here. As rulers, we have our duty to serve the kingdom. Which means that friendships aside, you need to be performing at your absolute best. And right now, we need you more than ever."

"...What happened?"

Gustav took a deep breath. "I'm sure you're aware, but the continent of Lurie is a boiling war zone. Factions are constantly warring for power, and it's only through a combination of effort, sacrifice, and luck that we've managed to stay at the top. But nowadays, many factions are growing stronger. Lucia's position in this great war is threatened, and we are suffering as a result."

Aika flipped a switch on some strange device, and videos started playing on the table's surface. Videos of destruction, war, and death. They watched as armies of soldiers fought for their lives, tearing into each other with blade and sorcery. They watched scores of dying soldiers clinging to life, and as fire consumed wondrous landscapes. They watched as Lucian forces were overrun by armadas wielding unfamiliar weapons, and as invaders burned villages to the ground and destroyed everything mercilessly.

The videos kept going, and Kagura was transfixed in horror. "This...is happening now? All of these people are suffering like this?"

"Correct." Aika replied. "In a game of war, there must be a victor - and we must be the victor, instead of the loser. We are Lucians - we have a duty to soar above all others and claim our rightful place atop of the world. But the way things are going right now, even if we do claim victory, it will be a slow, painful, and costly journey."

Both Gustav and Aika neglected to tell her a key fact - that Lucia was the one who started a great majority of these battles, due to their hunger for superiority and conquest. _But Kagura can remain blissfully unaware about that part. It's in her nature to want to help those in need, and we could use her help._

Kagura gulped. "So...is it my duty to help our soldiers? By...fighting?"

"You catch on quick, as expected of you." Aika praised her. "You are an extremely gifted child, blessed with an almost uncanny mastery over the arcane. And from your physical training, you've shown incredible proficiency in combat as well. I will admit that this is only a hunch...but we believe that _you_ could be the one to tip this war in our favor."

"But...I don't want to hurt anyone..."

Gustav put a hand on Kagami's shoulder. "That is inevitable. Diplomacy exists for a reason, but people will always fight. And when the fighting starts, and lives are lost...we refuse to lose. There are many ways to solve problems but sometimes the best - no, the _only_ way to quash a particularly bothersome problem is through overwhelming strength. We need you to fight alongside us."

"I..."

The king knelt down to her eye level and stared into her eyes. "Trust us when we say this is for the greater good. We would very much like to end the fighting quickly, and if we need to swiftly crush our foes, then so be it. Loss of life is one thing, but our priority is to minimize the losses among our valiant soldiers. Would you be willing to lend your powers to help our cause? To protect our people, and assure our victory?"

"S-So, if I fight, I can protect everyone? Including Kagami?"

Gustav smiled. "...Yes. Including that...that girl."

_Later..._

"So...you're going to be a _soldier_ now?"

Kagura was nervous, but she nodded. "Yeah, I need to fight for the sake of the kingdom. I'll try to visit you as much as I can, since I'm basically allowed to at this point...but if I'm away from a bit, that's probably why."

Kagami had been overjoyed when Kagura had come running to Stonewell, claiming that the king and queen had actually approved their friendship. She was less than overjoyed at the news that came afterwards, however - she couldn't even imagine a gentle girl like Kagura fighting in a full-on _war._ "B-But what brought this on? You're already fighting in a war? How old are you, twelve?"

"It's...something that I must do." Kagura insisted. "I have a duty to fulfil as the princess, and now that I can keep being friends with you with no problem, I've got to fulfil them. They said the kingdom needs me...so I'm going to do what I can to help. I need to protect everyone...I can even protect you this way. Besides, my parents approved of our friendship on the condition I do my best for the kingdom, so you bet I'm going to do my best."

 _She really does believe things easily..._ Kagami thought to herself. However, that was in the back of her mind right now. "But it's dangerous! Won't you have to...kill people?"

Kagura turned a little pale, but shook her head. "I don't...have to. I believe that if I try hard enough, I can neutralize enemies without killing them."

"But what if you die? What would happen then? What...would I do?"

The princess froze as the realization dawned on her. "I-I...well, I've just gotta have faith in my own abilities. If my constant training has given me one thing, it's the reassurance that I won't die so easily. S-So, please, don't be worried!"

Kagami seemed on the verge of tears at the mere prospect of her only friend dying and leaving her alone, so Kagura wrapped her arms around her and gave her a cooldown hug. "I'll be careful. For your sake..."

Gratefully, Kagami returned the hug. "J-Just...p-please don't die! If you die, we can't be friends...I wouldn't be able to bear a world where you're not my friend anymore..."

Kagura laughed softly, letting her own worries flow out as well. "D-Don't worry, I...I won't die. After all...I have to come back to enjoy the peaceful world I'm going to help create, right? Yeah...with you by my side...it'll be wonderful..."

Neither of them pulled out of the hug for the next minute, though. And for good reason - they were scared. Because no matter how these new developments went, there was an underlying fact that neither of them could deny.

Their fates had just become a lot more uncertain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will never miss an opportunity to make a camping segment
> 
> Names of the continents were basically drawn out of a hat, but the main one, Lurie, is named after a song I'm extremely fond of - the song of the same name by Rigel Theatre. Look it up if you've got the time.


	4. Joy's Transience, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _They both thought that they were doing the right thing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might have tinkered with V-Katsu a bit to give myself more visual references.
> 
> This chapter sees the first advent of more graphic content, so the squeamish are warned - I don't hold back.

Explosions rocked the battlefield as soldiers scrambled for their lives, the air saturated with the sickening smell of fire and blood. The sounds of clashing steel, the whines of soaring magic, and the screams of the fervent warriors rang through the air, blending into a terrible cacophony. Flames consumed the land, lives were lost with every passing second, and only chaos reigned supreme. This...was war, a battle between a Lucian defense force and an Aeredalen regiment.

Aeredale was the closest kingdom to the north of Lucian territory. While it was a relatively small kingdom centered on a main city, it was a thriving nation that enjoyed a high standard of living from its well-structured government and bountiful land. Its army was also highly robust despite being smaller than the usual - they made up for their lesser numbers with incredibly strict training, heavily maintained equipment, and a death-defying dedication to the well-being of their country.

Lucian forces had occupied a swath of their territory a bit ago, so Aeredale was quick to retaliate. Not only had they mostly evicted all the Lucians, they were now on the counterattack - looking to seize key Lucian military points and cripple their forces. This had culminated in a relatively small-scale but fierce battle along the borders of a smaller Lucian hilltop town.

What had started as a firefight had devolved into an all-out brawl. Armored soldiers and cavalry rushed at each other, glowering weapons prepared to rend steel and sinew. Mages massed at the backlines, conjuring arcane missiles to smite their foes. Arcane war machines let out sky-shattering bangs, lobbing bursts of ruinous power across the battlefield. And throughout all the fighting, the Lucian forces were slowly being pushed back - the Aeredalen forces specialized in magic, and their constant shelling of the battlefield was taking its toll on the Lucians.

The Aerdalens fought like a well-oiled machine, their armies a whirlwind of steel and magic. Soon, their foe's defensive line had broken, and they managed to storm their way to the town outskirts, their cavalry leading the charge to pierce through any stragglers that dared stand in their way.

However, the second they had arrived at the area, they noticed that something was up - and it wasn't the shower of explosive arrows fired from the elevated Lucian crossbow turrets. After dispelling the barrage, the mages prepared another volley of flaming death to raze the sentry towers to the ground, only to realize that they somehow couldn't. Some of the stronger mages were able to muster up a bit of power, but they realized that almost all of the magic in the area had somehow been drained. The mage commanders argued that a feat like that was possible, but _extremely_ hard. Did the Lucians have some kind of weapon that could absorb such huge quantities of magical energy?

Then they saw her.

Standing atop a tall rock that bore the banner of the Lucian army, a young girl held her hands in the air, light burning within her palms. She was dressed in shining platinum plate mail that pulsated with bright, vaguely prismatic light. Their scouts confirmed the terrible truth - this girl radiated with an absurd amount of magical power, and was seemingly holding it within herself. The most obvious answer was that _she_ was the one who had absorbed all the ambient magic, but that was hard to believe. What were the chances that such a powerful mage would show up here?

The mages faltered once they noticed that the girl had a headpiece resembling a tiara fused onto her helmet. They had heard rumors about her, but now the subject of those rumors stood before their eyes. If their scouts were correct, the little girl standing before them was not only an elite Lucian commander, but the princess of the kingdom and quite possibly one of the strongest mages they had ever encountered.

"...It's her!"

The little princess waved her hands, streams of energy flowing from her fingers. All around her, the Lucian soldiers were imbued with renewed vigor, veins of magic pulsing through the metal plates. With a shrill shout from the princess, the squads roared into battle again, each one using their new power to deploy personal barriers that shrugged off the ensuing Aerdalen projectile barrage.

"She's taken all the magic and is only sharing it with her own troops!" an archer commander barked. "Get her! Target her first!"

A soldier gawked. "But sir...she's just a child!"

The commander faltered, then steeled his resolve. "...It's this, or we lose."

He raised his heavy crossbow and sent an explosive-laden bolt hurtling towards the princess, only for a heavily-armored guard to leap in his path. Their heavy armor and thick tower shield absorbed the blast, although the force staggered him. With a barked command, the Aerdalen crossbowers opened fire in a joint assault that the heavy defenders couldn't hope to block all at once. However, the princess raised her hands, forming a barrier that soaked up all of the firepower before dissipating.

"Sir, they're tearing through us!" one of the soldiers yelled. "We have to pull back...but they're all over us! She's made them too strong!"

A mage leader shook her head. "Wait, but these guys are different. Our men...none of them have died!"

It was true. While the Aerdalen forces were being soundly defeated, the Lucians weren't killing indiscriminately as usual. They would disarm the soldiers, before slapping handcuffs onto them and dragging them away. What was different about these soldiers?

One of the heavy defenders got too careless and shield-based an Aerdalen swordsman in the face a bit too hard, seemingly breaking his spine from the immense impact. Immediately, the princess leapt from her perch overseeing the battle, channeling healing magic into him and mending his injury, before the heavy defender bowed in apology and handcuffed the soldier.

_Is she...trying to avoid causing death, or even harm? Has she ordered her troops to do the same?_

However, the Lucian forces hadn't been charging mindlessly. It took a few minutes of combat, but the mage-knights and heavy defenders eventually surrounded the squadron. As all the attacks stopped and the Aerdalens started panicking, the princess stepped forward and spoke. "Soldiers of Aeredale! Your valiant efforts are deserving of all our praise, but there is no need for further violence. Please, lay down your weapons and submit peacefully. I...would love for this horrible fighting to end as fast as possible."

The Aeredalens appreciated the gesture, but surrendering to the Lucians was not an option - their fates afterwards would be uncertain. Snarling, their swordfighter leader charged straight at her, while a majority of their remaining ranged units swarmed behind them.

Heavy defenders moved in to intercept them, but the Aerdalen mages unleashed all of their remaining power at once, blowing the bulky soldiers aside. The swordfighter leader leapt at the girl and raised his sword to cut her in two, only for the princess to almost instantly parry the attack in a flash of silver. His robust bronze blade had been met with a much thinner silver one, which had a faintly pulsing blue groove running down its center.

Letting out a sharp exhale, the little knight started pushing the swordsman back. His swordplay surpassed the best of their soldiers, but the young princess was able to match him, her lightning-fast flurry of magically charged blade strokes forcing him on the defensive while her magic enhanced her strength to the point where she could parry the much larger man's attacks. _How does such a little girl already know so much about combat? What did they do to her back at Lucia?_

While the leader fought with the princess, the surrounding troops managed to hold off the encroaching Lucian forces while swarming their main target. They let loose a barrage of arrows, bolts and javelins, only for the princess to let out a pulse of magic that scattered the barrage. Several javelins made it through the burst, but she nimbly dodged them while remaining locked in combat with her foe. 

Just as she had disarmed the swordfighter leader, several mounted cavalry charged at her with their pikes lowered and ready to impale her. She managed to narrowly dodge the first charge - the pike emitting a burst of sparks as it scraped her armor - before leaping high into the air and releasing a flash of light that blinded their horses, slowing the advance. When she landed, she quickly zipped between the incoming cavalry, sending jolts of electricity into their bodies to paralyze them and send their riders tumbling.

Yet they still kept coming - and the princess let out a sigh. Raising her sword, the weapon began crackling as the air around her became heavy with pressure. Then, with a shout, she summoned a halo of sparking energy above the entire force, before sending countless bolts of searing lightning crashing down upon them.

The magnitude of the magic attack instantly shattered their offensive. The bolts blasted soldiers aside like ragdolls while blinding anyone who was lucky enough to not get hit. However, curiously, they never directly hit anyone.

When the dust settled, the battle was decided. All the attacking Aeredalen soldiers were stunned at best and unconscious at worst. As her men started apprehending the soldiers, she walked up to the fallen crossbow leader, offering him a hand. "It's not too late. I-If you come with us, we can avoid any more fighting."

Not only was it humiliating for a literal child to be offering him mercy, the commander was far from willing to submit himself to the likes of a Lucian. "And leave my people in the hands of your kingdom? Who knows what you lot will do to us? We were minding our own business, when _your people_ invaded! You'll keep taking more land until Aeredale no longer exists! I would rather die than surrender to people like you...but if I die, I'm taking you with me!"

Secretly, he had loaded an explosive bolt into his crossbow ahead of time. Imbued with magical crystals, the bolt was powerful enough to instantly demolish a small house in a flash. Raising his crossbow at the princess, he pulled the trigger, intent on dying and dragging the heiress of their oppressors down to hell with him.

"No!"

Instead of an explosion disintegrating his form, all the commander felt was a muffled boom. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the princess had formed a small bubble of magical force around his crossbow, trapping the blast within. The weapon had been obliterated by the contained blast, and the princess seemed distraught - even for a mage of her caliber, absorbing such a powerful explosion on such short notice was no easy feat.

"...Why did you save me? I said that I'd rather die than-"

The princess put a finger to her mouth before she took off her helmet. Silky silver hair spilled out as a pair of youthful, luminous golden eyes stared down at him. "I won't allow you to hurt yourself, or any of my soldiers, or any of your soldiers! Your life is valuable too, you know...please, don't throw it away!"

All of the Aerdalen soldiers stared in disbelief as the princess continued. "It's my duty to serve Lucia, but I still respect you. Under my command, I will do everything in my power to make sure your troops are unharmed, even if we must suppress them. And I promise you...even if Lucia wins this contest, Aeredale will still exist. Aeredale will always exist...that's what I can assure you."

The commander was stunned as two swordsmen put shackles on his wrists and led him away. What was such a soft-hearted girl doing leading an army on the front lines?

The rest of the battle was a disaster for Aeredale. With the arrival of the Lucian princess, the main Lucian force had surged into action with renewed power and morale. The princess commanded her troops on the front lines, striking at weak points in their formation while suppressing foes with her incredibly powerful elemental arts. However, among all of the carnage, the number of Aeredalens that were severely injured or killed could be counted on one hand - she kept serious injury to a minimum, while repeatedly calling for their peaceful surrender so she could end this.

However, these foes were far more unruly, so the princess had to resort to more drastic means. Her foes had never seen a holistic mage with so much mastery over so many types of magic before, and she both dazzled and horrified them with her proficiency. With waves of her hand, her troops were reinvigorated, their energy and vitality replenished while their magic barriers were strengthened. With every cry of her voice, she rallied the Lucian troops, urging them to keep going and not back down. With every swing of her sword, she summoned storms of fire, wind and lightning to scatter and knock out those who tried to attack her, while warping the earth beneath them to stagger their troops and snare their cavalry. 

Nobody could touch her. She was an avatar of destruction, only restrained by her morality. From within her helmet, two glowing golden eyes stared down at the Aeredalen troops trying to attack her, as she deflected their attacks with her blade and sorcery as if they were little more than an annoyance.

It was a surreal scene for the Aeredalens. Amidst the thunderclaps, flaming bursts, blasts of light, and other surges of elemental chaos, the scouts' rumors were anything if not confirmed. The Lucians were already strong, but now it was confirmed that they had a terrifying monster on their side.

More than a few things had already gone wrong in that battle. None of their commanders could deny that.

But that princess...had been their greatest catastrophe.

_Two days later…_

"Happy birthday, Kagami!" Kagura yelled, holding up a box. "I baked you a cake!"

"You...you what?" her commoner friend asked in disbelief, hesitantly taking the box. "You remembered my birthday? Oh, thank you so much...I didn't know you liked baking."

Kagura smiled. "I just picked it up recently, so I don't know how good this is gonna taste. You were right - it was pretty fun."

While it was true that Kagura's busy life as an archmage of the Lucian army was making it harder to find time to visit her friend, the young princess always managed to squeeze some time out of her schedule to visit Kagami as frequently as she could. And now that there was nobody standing in her way, and that her retainers didn't need to spend as much time watching her...time was the only obstacle at this point, and that made Kagura happy.

There were no tables in Kagami's sanctuary, so the two of them just sat on the grassiest spot that also offered shade from the scorching summer sun, placing the box on a flat rock. It was a very simple pound cake, with no embellishments outside of a somewhat hastily drawn "13" that Kagura had almost certainly remembered at the last moment. Kagura would claim it was her intention and that it wasn't her trying to cover up her lack of confectionary talent, but she really did know that Kagami would like something simple and tasty better.

Kagami scarfed down a slice of the cake, looking like the world's happiest chipmunk. "This is delicious! Kagura, thank you so much for making this! Oh, but what are you waiting for? Come on and eat with me!"

"E-Eh? Well...okay, if you say so..."

As the two of them ate together, Kagami's patience waned. She could tell that Kagura was trying not to talk about her new duty, but Kagami couldn't hold it in any longer. "I read the newspaper. Was that really you, who helped stop the Aeredalen invasion? Were you the one who led the Lucian forces to an overwhelming victory?"

"U-Uh...yes?"

"Kagura, you're so awesome!" Kagami suddenly gushed, eyes sparkling with adoration. "You've become a hero to everyone! I overhear the villagers talking about you, like you're some kind of mythical figure. And I've read recounts of your battles...you really are amazing! Your magic is so powerful, and your leadership is inspiring, and your combat skill is flawless, and, and...well, you're just amazing!"

"W-W-What?" Kagura choked. "You think I...am awesome?"

Kagami laughed. "Yeah! You're so cool! I bet you were never in danger, with how strong you are!"

The princess was turning pink in the face - she might have been a force of nature given flesh on the battlefield, but her friend's presence all but made her melt. "It's not as good as it sounds...fighting isn't the best, and all this warfare scares me, even when I let my other self take over more. I try my best to keep injury to a minimum, but...well, it's hard."

"Wait...have you ever...killed anyone, Kagura?"

Kagura fell silent. Then, tears started welling at the corners of her eyes. "I...sometimes, I have to use my powers to suppress the people who want to hurt me and my soldiers. Sometimes, I forget to hold back as much, and people get hurt. And just a few times...people got hurt so much...that I couldn't save them. I've already had talks with my retainers and some others, but I still...can't..."

"There, there." Kagami soothed her, standing up for the sole purpose of rubbing Kagura's hair as her friend started bawling. "I know you're trying your best. This is war...people die in war. You're already doing everything in your power to save everyone, even your enemies, so you can't get down over a few failures. It's tragic, but in war, what can you do...just keep up the good work, and keep trying. You're already leagues better than any of the Lucian generals who would slaughter enemies on sight, and even if they aren't proud of you, I am."

Kagura sniffled. "Y-You're a lot mentally stronger than I am. If anything...you would handle war better than me. I wish you could fight by my side...it would be reassuring, if anything."

Kagami sat back down and nodded through a mouthful of cake. "Aww, I'm honored. I'd love to fight beside you as well. I could be your bodyguard, or at least just fight for your sake. I wouldn't last a second on a real battlefield, though...and nobody would take my orders, with my curse and all."

"I would listen to you!"

"The troops would lynch me if you did that!"

Kagura just smiled. "I appreciate how eager you are to help me. I'd still feel bad if I got you involved in such terrible battles, though...but I still made a promise years ago. Once I rule the kingdom, I'm dragging you to the palace. Then, we can work side by side, and travel together, and all of that good stuff!"

Kagami laughed gratefully, but was also reminded of another question. "Hey, Kagura, what kind of missions are you even being sent on?"

"Well..." Kagura mused. "I'm what the soldiers call an 'archmage', so I'm considered an elite leader. But since I asked, I've only been assigned to places that need defending, or have gotten their defensive lines compromised. So I basically just defend places against invaders and support the troops. They keep saying that if I take down all the enemies trying to attack us, I can protect our people. If that's what I have to do to protect everyone, then I'll do it. I'll ensure everyone stays safe!"

 _Yep, she's definitely being manipulated._ Kagami thought to herself. _Those nobles have really buttered her up, appealing to her sense of protectiveness like that. I bet there are a whole lot of things they're keeping from her to keep her willing, so that she keeps fighting for their agendas. Soon, once she gets complacent, they'll probably be saying stuff about how pre-emptive strikes stop fighting before it starts, and before you know it, Kagura's going to be helping to collapse Lucia's enemies. Kagura's so trusting and kind...why must people exploit her like this?_

However, she kept that all to herself. Kagura clearly trusted the royals despite everything, and Kagami would hate herself if she made Kagura upset by badmouthing them like that. So, she cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Also, uh, did you just waltz into here? Nobody's gonna get suspicious, right?"

Kagura could tell Kagami had something else on her mind, but didn't probe. "Well, they said that I could spend my spare time doing whatever I want now, and they've issued an order for everyone to kind of...leave me alone, and not bother me? T-That...worked a little too well..."

When Kagura had arrived in Stonewell, everyone had nearly panicked and tried to give her a wide berth, avoiding her like she had some kind of life-extinguishing plague. She tried to make conversation with people, but they would all frantically avoid eye contact, stay silent outside of strained noises and occasional whispers, or outright kneel before her. They were too terrified of her high status, and clearly saw her as a being far above them. But this only made Kagura sadder - they showed absolute fealty to her, but what she truly wanted was to talk with people, like a normal girl. 

She was already kind of used to it, but seeing everyone kneel before her wherever she went made her heart ache - it was almost like "being the princess" and "being a human being" were mutually exclusive, meaning that the hope of her making any more friends was bleak. So, after a few miserably failed attempts at making small talk with the civilians, she retreated to the forest, where she could meet the one person who absolutely would not bow or kneel to her unless it was to playfully fluster her.

But with Kagami here, she was happy. "Well, anyways, when I said I wanted you to be by my side, I didn't just mean fighting. I've been fighting for about a year now, and I've already gotten to visit a whole load of new places. They said that eventually I might be able to travel to the other continents...I'm sure that Sentrius, Theryl, or Cardina have things that people like me can only dream of. But Lurie still has so much to offer...I've been to places totally unlike Zenith, Stonewell, or even Konis."

"...Really? I'm interested, tell me more!"

Kagura beamed. "Yep. Like, I visited a mountain settlement at one point. It was really simple, but it was a really cozy little place regardless. But there were some vents around the area, so the villagers had built some hot springs there! I got some time off after sorting out some paperwork...it was bliss. It was suuuuper comfy, since the water was so warm but the air was still cold. And it was still on top of the mountain, so I could look over the side and gaze at the scenery while I relaxed."

"Hot...spring?" Kagami repeated, trying to visualize that. "Wow, that really does sound different. I've...never really taken a warm bath before, but I can imagine how good that would feel."

"Hehe, then I've got to bring you there sometime. It'd be fun!"

It took Kagami five seconds before she realized what that meant. Upon said realization, she choked. "E-Ehhh? But that...uhh, that'd be embarrassing..."

"Why?" Kagura asked bluntly. "I heard that the people there don't mind using the hot spring together at all. Well, the one I used was empty, because everyone wanted to give me space again, but..."

Kagami was never a self-conscious person, but she _was_ used to doing everything alone, so the prospect of bathing in the same area as another person already unnerved her. But when that person was _Kagura_ of all people, it made things even harder. She could feel her face burning red as she desperately tried to reroute the topic. "Uhh...just trust me on it! I couldn't possibly...do something like that..."

"It's okay, Kagami! I promise I won't stare!" Kagura assured her innocently. "Besides, we're both girls, after all, so is it really that embarrassing?"

"K-Kagura!" Kagami practically squealed, resisting the urge to scream aloud as her face turned a virtually luminescent crimson. "T-Thanks...but maybe some other time…"

Kagura figured she might have made Kagami too mad and dropped the topic - she had half a mind to tease her further, but that wasn't really her thing. "Oh, but you know where else I went? There was this really cool highland, where all of these big furry cow-like things were living! The farmers there said that they made for some really good food, and after trying it, I can safely say they were right. How about I take you there sometime instead?"

The commoner perked up, cooling herself off. "Good food? Count me in!"

The two of them laughed and talked for the next hour or so, before Kagura noticed something. "K-Kagami...are you hurt again?"

"Huh?" Kagami asked. "How could you tell? I could have sworn that all the bruises I've gotten aren't visible like this..."

"Sensing the state of life is an easy task for me." Kagura muttered, leaning over and healing Kagami to her optimal state again. "Why are you always somehow injured whenever I show up?"

"...I work pretty hard doing jobs around town." It was a partial truth.

Kagami prayed that Kagura wouldn't probe further - she'd feel horrible if she did - but Kagura let it slide, only for her eyes to be drawn to yet another peculiarity. "Those flowers...they're still there?"

Kagami looked over to where Kagura was looking. Sure enough, the two flowers from all those years ago were still standing, as healthy as always. They were a curious pair...every winter, they'd wither and die, only to reappear the day spring began. And no matter what, they'd always grow wrapped around each other, as if it had somehow become a part of their genetic code. 

The commoner was somewhat convinced that Kagura had accidentally planted some kind of experimental Lucian super-plant in her sanctuary, but she found the flowers charming, somehow. "Yep. Still here. These two are really sturdy, eh?"

Kagura smiled. "I'm glad they seem to be lasting so long! Maybe I'll start taking a look at them every time I visit from now on. But I'm not worried about them - they're like a symbol of our friendship, so they should last until the world ends! That's how it works, right?"

Kagami couldn't help but giggle at her silliness. Kagura was older than her, not to mention _far_ more powerful in every way, yet she often seemed more childish. Maybe it was just because Kagami was a cynical girl, but it was still a curious thing...and Kagami had a feeling that besides maybe Ivan or Elise, she was the only one in the world to have experienced this softer side of Kagura. Then again, Kagura was probably the only one to have experienced the side of her that wasn't bitter and depressed, so she guessed it was fair.

The pair kept talking for a bit, before Kagura remembered that she _did_ have something to take care of today. Bidding her friend farewell and sauntering back to Zenith, Kagura was overtaken by a moment of regret. She knew that her new duties would only make her busier as time went on, and with them came a gnawing fear - the fear that she'd eventually have no time left to spend with her dear friend. Silently, she prayed that the moment would never come - and until then, she'd have to do everything in her power to keep visiting, as often as her duties would allow her.

She needed more memories - more little bits of happiness she could store in her heart. So that even if Kagami were to one day vanish from her life, she could still treasure all the memories they made together.

About a year passed, and Kagura continued to visit Kagami. Even as her schedule became more packed, and as the fighting intensified, Kagura refused to neglect her friend. On her end, Kagami tried to humor Kagura's constant requests by making the best of her life despite her curse, and that _did_ end up giving her little bits of joy here and there. She never lost hope, because she knew that as long as Kagura drew breath, she'd come and visit again eventually - and from the news the town was receiving, it seemed that Kagura would keep drawing breath for a _long_ time. And as long as Kagura was there, there would always be a spark of happiness in this dismal world.

However, a little before Kagami's fourteenth birthday, something changed. Kagami had just come back from a gruelling day of school - she was a hard worker and an overall high-performing student (outside of occasionally missing classes, but nobody ever noticed), but going to school when everyone hated you was never easy and _always_ tiring. She was prepared to just crash on her hammock and take some time off, only to find Kagura waiting for her at the sanctuary.

"Kagura..." Kagami breathed, stumbling towards her. "Am I glad to see you!"

Kagura clearly wanted to tell her something, but she ran up to Kagami and caught her before she could fall. "What happened to you? Are you hurt again?"

Kagami tried to shake her head, but Kagura wasn't that stupid. Healing Kagami with her magic, she knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. "Kagami, please. Every time I come back here, you're more hurt than you were the last time. Tell me what's happening!"

Hiding it any longer seemed kind of pointless, so Kagami spilled the beans. She had tried to hide this to avoid having Kagura feel bad, but it was gradually becoming common knowledge to the people of Stonewell that Kagura had a soft spot for her. And with it had come the issue of growing resentment and jealousy towards the girl they already hated. The people who perceived her as weak, useless, and annoying could not comprehend how one of the most important people in Lucia would be friends with her. _"Why her and not me?"_ they asked, but the truth was that even if Kagura had approached them, nobody was courageous enough to befriend her - they were too indoctrinated into Lucia's class segregation to overcome their fear of those above them.

But now, Kagami suffered for it. People that were normally content to avoid her were now hostile, constantly belittling her whenever they could. The youth that she attended school with would bully her even more than they usually did, taking out all of their spite and anger on the subject of their jealousy. Kagami did her best to ignore their verbal assaults and withstand their physical ones, but while her mind was borderline immune to harassment at this point, her frail body was still paying the price.

But Kagami couldn't fault them, either - if she hadn't been cursed, perhaps this would have been different. Well, if she hadn't been cursed, she might not have even become friends with Kagura in the first place, so it was okay...right?

Kagura listened to her intently, the look of horror on her face growing with every passing second. By the time Kagami finished talking, Kagura looked uncharacteristically angry. "I-I can't believe them...they'd really hurt you over something like that? Why are you being punished for being my friend? I can't accept this...I'm heading over there. I'll let them know what happens when you mess with my friend!"

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy!" Kagami yelped in alarm, extending an arm to block the princess from storming off and terrorizing the villagers. "I wouldn't mind seeing them get what they deserve, but fighting them is not going to make this better. If anything, they'll become even more hostile - you won't always be there to protect me."

Kagura stopped and sat down again, sighing. "Ah...I guess you're right. W-Why did I even suggest that...I guess all this fighting has changed me, huh?"

"I'm...sorry for not being able to protect myself."

"Don't be!" the princess exclaimed, patting Kagami on the head. "None of this is your fault, so don't be sorry. You'll make me feel bad!"

Kagami seemed to be deep in thought, but she just nodded. "Alright. But one day...I'm just hoping that one day, I'll be able to protect myself. Then...you won't have to spend your effort protecting me."

"Also..." Kagura went on, her face becoming nervous. "I actually came here to tell you something. It's really important...it could change my future, so I wanted to ask you about it."

"You'd trust someone like me with something like that?" Kagami asked incredulously. "Well, if you're willing, let me hear it. I'll see what I can do for you."

_About one minute later..._

"You're WHAT? So you're saying...that a _celestial god_ wants to _use you as a vessel?!"_

Kagura laughed - a sad laugh. "It sounds insane, but please hear me out. First of all, do you know what a Celestial is? Celestial as in the specific race...no, they're more of a group. I don't think they tell this to anyone...even among the people of Zenith, they were a myth until recently."

The stunned Kagami could only shake her head. "Are they from space...?"

"Yeah. They're a semi-species of godlike beings that apparently watch over the universe." Kagura explained. "They're super huge and extraordinarily powerful - apparently any of them could snuff out a planet in a heartbeat. But it's also their job to keep an eye on the universe's happenings, especially when it comes to life. And sometimes, they'll directly interact with other species, for a variety of reasons."

"So...why did they contact you and ask you to do this?"

Kagura shrugged. "Apparently I have a lot of potential for a human. That Celestial was really cryptic about it, but I think they want to see if I'm able to withhold a fragment of their power. Our strategists seem to think they're also just curious as to what will happen to the situation in Lurie if I become that powerful - according to that Celestial, they frequently do things out of sheer curiosity and borderline boredom."

Kagami was still having some trouble wrapping her head around this revelation. "So...what's going to happen to you? And why are you asking me about this?"

"I..I don't know!" Kagura nearly wailed. "I don't know what's gonna happen! I don't know what I should do! Everyone seems to really want me to take on this, and I kind of want to - they said that if I get stronger, I can protect even more people! Even if everyone becomes scared of me...if it means people won't pick fights with us, then it's worth the sacrifice. But…what will happen to me? I'd be hosting something from another world...not only would that be super weird, what if it does something to my body or mind? Will I straight-up become someone else?"

Kagami was still stunned, but she hushed Kagura before she could start crying. "Calm down. Listen, I'm trying to wrap my head around all of this now. But you don't need to panic. I'm here for you, and you can share this with me as slow as you like."

Kagura slowed her breathing and shuddered. "I-I'm scared, Kagami. I'm not allowed to show fear whenever I'm commanding, or in public events."

"That's rough. You always seem like such a scaredy-cat."

"Kagami..." Kagura half sighed, half laughed. "Well, you've got a point. But now...this is something I'm totally unfamiliar with. The choice I make here...well, even if I have a choice, it's going to impact the rest of my life. And with so many things I just don't know about all this Celestial stuff...well, it terrifies me. It's terrifying! What...what should I do?"

"It's okay...let it all out..." Kagami whispered, reaching over and giving the hyperventilating Kagura a cooldown hug. Kagura squeezed back with enough force to borderline asphyxiate her, but she managed to calm herself yet again.

"Kagami...I need your help." the princess muttered. "If you can...please, tell me what you think. I want to know how you feel about this...what you'd do if you were in my place. If I asked anyone else, they'd just try to push me into it...you're the only one that I can freely talk about this to. Please, say something...I don't know what I want. I could protect Lucia with this new power, but it could also destroy me forever. I don't...I don't want to make this choice..."

Kagami wasn't sure what to say. This was something that was _way_ out of her league, and now she was being asked to comment on it? But Kagura...she looked like she desperately needed Kagami's input for this. She needed to say something.

But what _did_ she think about it? What did she want for Kagura? If she had been the one, she would have had trouble passing up an offer from a literal cosmic deity. But with the way the royals were trying to push Kagura into it, she was likely going to become a tool for their own goals. Protect the kingdom? They probably just wanted her to destroy all of their enemies. Kagami wanted Kagura to have a choice - to have a life that she could choose for herself. 

Yet if Kagura felt like she had a duty to do this...who was Kagami to deny her that? Kagura trusted her parents and those around her despite their machinations. If Kagami were to straight-up tell her that she should defy those people because they were only using her...what would Kagura say? Would Kagura get angry at her?

_What do I do?_

Before she knew it, Kagami's lips moved by themselves. 

"I...think that it'd be a huge honor for you..."

Kagura paused. Then, she smiled. "Do you think so?"

"It's...just my opinion..." Kagami stammered back. She had said it, and there was no going back now. Kagura needed a sure reply, and although she really didn't believe in it _too_ much, she believed that it'd make Kagura happier to hear that. "And...I can promise you...I won't leave you if you change. Remember what I said those years ago?"

"...I do."

_"Even if you became an all-powerful god, I'd still accept you with open arms!"_

Kagami tried for a smile. "It still stands. No matter what you become, I promise to be here for you."

"...I understand." Kagura said happily. "Thank you so much for your words. I think I know what I have to do now."

Kagami thought it had just been a slip of the tongue - a hasty idea that Kagura would consider, and then maybe brush off if she didn't like it. But unbeknownst to Kagami, Kagura trusted her completely. If Kagami said it was a good idea, then she believed it would be one. And if Kagami would always stick by her, no matter what...then what did she have to fear? Her friend's words had given her confidence, and she was now determined to take on that looming responsibility, no matter how scared it made her.

Kagura smiled again. Then, she let out a small laugh. Like a pin shot at a balloon, that laugh instantly shattered the tension in the air. It took a little bit of re-railing, but the conversation quickly turned towards more casual topics, the stress forgotten.

About a month and a half later, Kagura seemed to have forgotten about the decision. Instead, she returned with a whole slew of new news.

"Hey, Kagami! Sorry I couldn't visit you for a while, but I was busy because Lucia allied with a new country! I got to meet them and explore a bit!"

"Huh?" Kagami asked, lazing in her hammock. "A new country, you say? What's it like?"

"Well, it's less of a country and more like a really big city." Kagura explained. "They're called Aether, and they're a huge mobile city from Cardina!"

"Mobile...city?"

Kagura nodded. "Mhm! It surprised me too, but their entire city actually moves! The people on the other continents don't really have magic, but their technology is so much better than ours...but now that we're allied, they might let us use it, too. Anyways, yeah, their city flies through the sky thanks to their amazing machines."

Kagami was stunned. "Whoa. I didn't even know that was possible."

"I know, right?" Kagura gushed, clearly enamored with Lucia's new allies. "I got to visit their city for the first meeting, and it blew me away. Everything is so shiny and bright...I can't really find anything to compare it to. The people there look different, everyone dresses differently, and even the food is super different."

Her friend smiled warmly. "Sounds like you've been having lots of fun. Aether, huh? I've gotta remember it so I can maybe visit it one day."

"Haha, I know you'll love it!" the princess laughed. "Anyways, I kinda forgot why they're here, but I heard something about how they wanna settle down in Lurie. Make a name for themselves, maybe. But with all the fighting going on, they're having a hard time, so they decided to try allying with us. Now we've got each other's backs out there, and we're learning a lot of new things from each other - they teach us how to use technology, and we're teaching them how to use magic. As for me, I've been doing a lot of diplomatic stuff, meeting all the new people and whatnot. I've already gotten pretty pretty familiar with a bunch of the higher-ups."

However, Kagura's face lit up all of a sudden. "Oh, oh, and guess what? I guess things are different at Aether, but the people there...they aren't scared of me!"

Kagami choked. "What? Really? That's awesome for you!"

"Yeah!" Kagura beamed, her smile barely able to contain her joy. "They talk to me, and not just about serious matters. It really feels like they care about me, even people I'm not familiar with! I've even made friends my age! It's...it was embarrassing, but I actually cried a bunch when some Aether kids asked to play with me for the first time..."

"It's not embarrassing!" Kagami insisted, a tear coming to her eye upon seeing her best friend so exuberant. "If they knew how strict rules were in Lucia, they'd understand. I'm just...so, so happy for you. I'm so glad you were finally able to get more, caring friends, after all this time. Heh I'm not the only one now, huh?"

In response, Kagura knelt down and patted the shorter girl on the head. "Don't worry, Kagami! I won't forget you, ever! Even if I make a thousand more friends, you'll always be the one who is most precious to me, forever and ever! I promise you!"

"Hey, I didn't say anything like that. I just said I was glad you were having fun." Kagami couldn't deny the fact that she _had_ felt a pang of worry for a microsecond. She berated herself for it - she should have more trust in Kagura. Her best friend would never forget her!

"But you're right. I am having fun...a lot of fun." Kagura went on. "I feel so...close to the people of Aether. There are even a bunch of kids - still higher-class citizens, admittedly - that I know on a first-name basis, and meet in my spare time. We get along remarkably well, and the nobles actually seem to support it! In fact, they..."

Kagura paused, and didn't speak again for a few seconds. When Kagami looked closer, she was surprised to see that Kagura's face was turning pink alarmingly quickly. "Eh? What is it, Kagura?"

"Well...uh, the nobles of both factions were talking about it, and they've discussed the possibility of...a betrothal."

It took a few seconds for that to sink in for Kagami. "A...what?"

"Betrothal. An arranged marriage." Kagura muttered sheepishly, her face now fully pink. "For a bunch of reasons I haven't read up on too much - diplomatic, social, and whatnot - they've brought up the possibility of me marrying the heir to Aether in the future."

"M-Marrying...the heir of Aether?" Kagami squeaked in surprise. "Wait a minute! That's some serious business for such an early alliance! Why would they say that? Have you even gotten to know the heir of Aether?"

"Well, yeah." Kagura admitted. "He's a boy a little older than me, named Damian. We became fast friends, which I think was half the reason this whole idea came up. Countries do this all the time...I guess they might consider the alliance valuable enough to want to stabilize it like this? I heard something about genetics, too, but I don't remember a lot of that."

"They can't just...decide that for you! Marriage is something huge!"

"Wait, Kagami." Kagura said, trying to hide her embarrassment at Kagami's violent reaction to her recount. "They didn't even plan anything yet, and don't seem intent on doing so anytime soon. It's less of an arrangement and more of a serious-ish suggestion. The most they've done is encourage me to get to know him more."

"Oh..." Kagami breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, it's good to know they aren't trying to force you into doing anything you don't want. Well, I don't know, you might want it. How is this Damian guy, anyways? Is he nice?"

"He is...an outstanding human being." Kagura replied confidently. "He was trained relentlessly from a young age but still received a lot of care, so he's now both a kind person and an outstandingly capable heir. But when he talks with me, or his friends...he feels less like the heir to a powerful city-state, and more like just another person. He's talkative, caring, down to earth, really charismatic, and surprisingly carefree - which makes him surprisingly prone to some careless moments at times. What more can I say? I might just be biased, since I've spent a lot of time with him and some others, but I've really got nothing but praise for the guy. We've actually spent some time alone - I think he's actually taken a liking to me - but he's pretty much the same with me as he is with his friend group. I wish I could say the same...my persona seems to vary during our times together. He's good at getting people to open up - might be a psychologist in the making."

"Wow, he really does sound like a wonderful person. Honestly, for once, those nobles might have made a right call with you." Kagami replied. Her recount of this Damian sounded oddly familiar, but she was having trouble putting her finger on it.

_...Of course. Trained relentlessly from a young age but still receiving a lot of care...he sounds like what Kagura could have been if she had been given a healthy upbringing. She wouldn't have a need to hide so much about herself if that had been the case..._

Kagura smiled. "Hehe, maybe. For what it's worth, we're pretty close already. Even though it's kinda arranged, he seems to genuinely care about me, and I care about him in return. It's nothing too serious yet, but I feel that I could easily bond with him more after some time."

"Maybe you really _do_ want to take this chance. You two already seem very lucky to have each other." Kagami teased. "Maybe it won't be long before you genuinely fall in love. You better invite me to the ceremony, bride-to-be."

"Eep!" Kagura squeaked, her face turning even redder as she hid it behind her sleeves. "D-D-Don't say that yet! I-I'm not a romantic person! I'm not ready for anything past this point! A-And even if anything does happen, it'll be way later!"

Kagami laughed - the princess' flustered reactions would never fail to be adorable. "Don't worry, I get it! I meant the first part, though. Judging from your words, if you do end up considering a partner, or marriage, it seems like you've found a good candidate. Even now, you seem really lucky to have each other. And in the future, if you end up together, you'll still be lucky to have each other."

Kagura smiled tenderly. "I guess so. Well...no matter who I meet, I'll always be luckier to have you, right? If we're using that logic, I should just marry you, Kagami!"

"Awww! Y-You don't have to give me such high praise!" a flustered Kagami laughed, standing on her tiptoes and affectionately rubbing a protesting Kagura's hair. "Joke like that one more time, and my heart will actually melt!"

However, upon seeing Kagura's oddly confused expression, Kagami faltered for a second.

_She's joking...right?_

Kagami could feel her heart rate accelerating rapidly, so she cleared her throat and changed the subject. "E-Er, anyways. What else is new? What do you do with your new friends? I'm assuming they treat you well..."

"You don't have to worry about me that much." Kagura assured her. "Well, we just do...well, whatever we feel like at the time? I don't get _that_ much free time, but that doesn't change it - we just do whatever we think is fun at the time. And we share a lot about our lives...oh, that reminds me. Damian...well, I might have told him about you. Like, a lot about you."

"...You what?"

Kagura tried to hide her face in shame again. "Well, the people of Aether might still be affected by your curse if you see them, but they hold nothing against you for your status. I wanted to share your story with people who would be willing to accept it. And they were willing to accept it - all of them, especially Damian, were astounded by the story. Damian in particular...well, let's just say that he might actually know more about you than he knows about me."

Kagami was stunned. "I...don't know what to say."

"Look, I'm sorry! I couldn't help myself..."

"No, I'm just...so honored." Kagami whispered, trying to fight back tears. "It's so unreal that there are people talking about me..."

Every time Kagami delved into self-deprecation made Kagura want to cry a little bit. She deserved so much more...but all she could do right now was make the best out of it. "I don't know if it'll hold up if you saw each other in person, but Damian's got a really high opinion of you at this point. I still have faith that someone like him might be able to defy the curse and treat you nicely...but I can only hope."

Kagami was silent. She hoped Kagura was right.

"Oh, but I got something else for you." Kagura continued, plopping herself down beside the river and rummaging around in the backpack she had brought. "The people at Aether have really different ways of having fun, helped by their advanced technology. A lot of the kids - and some of the adults - have these neat little devices that can display all kinds of things on them. You can even play games on them! They let me try one, so I brought it here - I want you to see it too, Kagami!"

In Kagura's hands was a small-ish, shiny black device, alongside two smaller implements with numerous buttons on them. As Kagami knelt down to get a closer look, she yelped and shuffled backwards as the device suddenly lit up, letting out a high-pitched series of chimes. Before long, the white light the device was giving off disseminated into countless colors, forming...a video?

"It...really does act as a display..." Kagami breathed incredulously. "That's amazing...what can you do with it?"

"Basically anything!" was the instant reply. "They already have ways to store tons of information on this - it's like a tiny library. But what I brought it here for wasn't to read - I brought it here so I could play a game with you!"

"A game? I'm not sure how good I'll be, but count me in!"

Kagura laughed. "I was like that when I started out, but I learned quickly! With your level of smarts, you'll learn the ropes in a snap!"

"...What are you saying? I'm not smart!"

The princess ignored her protests and booted up her game. Colorful figures flashed to life as Kagura handed Kagami one of the smaller devices. "I figured you'd like action, so I chose a fighting game to play. I play this one a lot of the time, but I'm still not very good at it..."

Kagami nodded and listened carefully as Kagura went over the game objectives, all of the controls, and a brief rundown of all the characters. It was taking a while, and Kagura was getting nervous that Kagami would lose interest, but the villager seemed totally absorbed into this brand new world. After giving her a feel for the controls, Kagura chose a stage, chose a character, and motioned for Kagami to choose her character.

Surveying the roster, Kagami made her choice - a burly man with a big sword and an even bigger beard. "I'll try this guy out. He looks strong."

When the game started, Kagura let Kagami try maneuvering around and trying her moves for a bit. Then, on the count of three, they ran at each other.

_Smash!_

Kagura stared in disbelief as her character went flying, having sustained massive damage in what had seemed like an instant. "W-What did you do?"

"Uh…" Kagami mumbled, "You said if I flick that stick and press this button, my character performs a strong attack, right? So, uh, I just did that."

Kagura frowned and hit some buttons. Her smaller, more agile character got to their feet, pulling out a weapon and firing a barrage of beams at their foe. As Kagami failed to dodge out of the way and sustained rather significant damage as a result, Kagura's character leapt into the air, diving at Kagami's from above...

_Smash!_

"...Did you just do that again?"

"It was an accident!" Kagami protested.

Kagura had been sent flying by the second hit, and was now struggling to get back to solid ground. Kagami tried to approach her, but she drove her off with a few aerial attacks before landing safely. That safety lasted for all of three seconds before Kagami dashed at her, forcing her to jump high up. But as she fell, Kagami jumped vaguely underneath her, flicked her joystick upwards, and pressed the attack button.

That attack had a lot more range than she had expected.

_Smash!_

Kagura stared in dumbfounded awe as her character flew off the stage, exploding in a shower of sparks as her life counter went down by one. "...Three attacks? I never saw that when I played with the others - they never play this guy! They said he wasn't even that good...so what is this? Am I just bad?"

Kagami winced. "I feel kinda bad for that. Okay, let me kill myself real quick."

"Wait, no-"

One explosion later, Kagami's life counter was even with Kagura's.

"...Oh. Thanks...?"

Kagura wasn't going to waste the opportunity - she wanted to have fun, of course, but she also wanted to improve her skills and actually win the game. Deciding to try something one of her new friends had taught her. Dashing up to Kagami's character, Kagura knocked them into the air and began a string of aerial moves, taking advantage of their large statue to juggle them in the air. As Kagura tried not to mess up her combo, Kagami was taking severe damage from the chain of attacks.

"Gah!" Kagami yelped, fumbling with her controls. "In that case, I'll try some other moves, too!"

She tried to remember the other moves she had tried out, and pressed a few buttons. Her character knocked Kagura aside with a spinning kick, before lashing out with another series of aerial strikes. Her retaliation successfully stopped the combo, but it had a side effect.

"...Kagami, did you just do more damage than my whole combo in three attacks?"

Kagami smiled guiltily as she continued her attack, realizing that her aerial attacks were a lot stronger than she had imagined. Kagura likely could have handily avoided them, but she wasn't particularly adept at the game either.

The princess yelped and tried to put some distance between herself and the rampaging swordsman coming after her. Soon, their fight gravitated towards the edge of the stage, and Kagura gained the upper hand by carrying Kagami off the stage with a strong attack followed by several weaker aerials. Panicking, Kagami mashed her controller, only for her next attack to send Kagura straight down and off the map.

"Huh?" Kagura yelped.

"W-What was that?" Kagami screamed in confusion, more surprised than Kagura was. "I sent you down!"

When Kagura respawned, she quickly made short work of Kagami after the latter aimed her recovery in the wrong direction and plummeted to her doom. Having learned a hard lesson, Kagura now tried to keep her distance and pepper Kagami with projectiles, but her friend was getting better at the game alarmingly quickly.

However, Kagami soon learned that she could very easily get away with using the same attacks over and over again. She decided to try just that, and sure enough, Kagura was unable to approach her without getting punished.

"All of these attacks reach so far away!" Kagami laughed. "What is this?"

Kagura was laughing despite herself. "I can feel my brain cells popping one by one! Please stop!"

The princess still won after adapting to Kagami's braindead strategies, and Kagura decided to try playing the same character as Kagami for the next match. The match didn't last long before they were practically in hysterics at the sheer hilarity of the ensuing game. The entire screen had just become a mess of explosions and massive hitboxes, and one of them would die roughly every twenty seconds. Clearly, this game of Kagura's needed some balancing - or maybe they just needed to get good.

This continued for some time, until both of them had tired themselves out from laughing. Taking a nap under the nearest tree and soaking up the warmth of the summer day, both of them forgot all of their troubles, even if just for a moment.

_One month later..._

Ivan ran through the forest as fast as he could without disturbing his sleeping passenger too much, with Elise in hot pursuit. Clutched in his arms, Kagura twitched slightly as she slept, sweating and mumbling deliriously.

_Why now? Why this?_

Nobody remembered exactly when, but at some point Kagura had suddenly become adamant on taking on the duty given to her some time ago - the duty of taking on a Celestial's power, and using it for the good of Lucia. It had been a jarring change - while all of the nobles tried their hardest to coerce her into it, and her new Aetherian companions just told her to follow her heart, she didn't seem to know what she had wanted. But suddenly, one day she had become dead-set on taking on this new responsibility. What had caused this?

Ivan and Elise could guess. _It was Kagami, wasn't it?_

But things had gone wrong. The day when Kagura was slated to receive her new power was fast approaching, but disaster had struck. On a diplomatic mission, a cadre of mysterious assassins wielding unprecedented stealth magic had snuck past her guards to launch an attack directly at Kagura herself. Using her arcane mastery, the young princess fended them off, but the assassins managed to use what looked like some kind of crystalline artifact, casting what was recognized as a powerful spell on Kagura before they were defeated. Much to her horror, the ones who hadn't already been killed or captured by guards chose to take their own lives rather than surrender.

Kagura had been instantly recalled to Zenith, but it only took a day for her to start suffering symptoms similar to that of an illness. The first was a high fever, followed by respiratory congestion and full-body pain. As Kagura grew fatigued and was forced to spend her days resting, the royal doctors were in a panic - Kagura was in good physical condition, and had rarely gotten sick before. Bringing in some mages, they determined that it was no illness - she had indeed been stricken by a maleficent curse by those assassins. 

Worse still, some interrogation revealed that the assassins were a part of the clan Lucia had destroyed many years ago - the one responsible for Kagura's original curse. The scattered remnants had sworn vengeance on Lucia, who had slaughtered their people and destroyed their god, so they had planned an assassination attempt. They had gathered up as many remnants of their lord's power as possible - manifested as crystalline ingots of dark magic - and used their power to strike Kagura with the most destructive curse their vengeful minds could create.

Even with mere fractions of the dark god's power, the curse was extremely potent. If their medical staff hadn't been so well-trained, Kagura likely could have wasted away in the span of days. Instead, the curse had been neutered to the point where it was like a rather acute illness, which was far more manageable. But it was getting steadily worse with each passing day, making it painfully clear that there was a pretty fair chance that Kagura wouldn't make it out of this alive. And it didn't change the fact that as a remnant of that particular god's power - whose magic violated Lucian knowledge and remained an unknown topic to them - they were unable to permanently destroy it. And with no known members of the clan left alive, they were desperate for a solution - they now knew why the assassins had killed themselves.

For Gustav and Aika, this was unacceptable. For their daughter to be cursed yet again upset them greatly - but more importantly, she would be unable to fulfil any of her responsibilities in such a sickly state. And that mysterious Celestial had made it clear that they were waiting for Kagura to formally accept their offer...but Kagura was obviously in no shape to receive such power right now. If she tried to take on such a huge amount of power in her current state, it would likely botch the process somehow, if not outright kill her. They needed to get rid of this curse, and before it killed her first.

After extensive testing, the mages found themselves unable to eradicate the curse. Some scholars theorized that they could probably just wait it out, but the nobles doubted the Celestial would wait that long. With no other options left, Gustav and Aika turned to an old solution - digging up some old casting equipment, they prepared to use another commoner as a sacrifice, shifting the curse onto them so that Kagura might recover.

Unfortunately for Ivan and Elise, they were the only soldiers that the rulers would entrust with Kagura's safety - and so, they were the ones ordered to do the deed yet again. Gustav and Aika understood that it might put a psychological strain on them, but they trusted nobody else with their heiress' safety. They specifically gave instructions to give the curse to somebody who was already dying, as per their suggestion all those years ago, but it didn't make the deed any easier.

As they marched through the forests around Stonewell, Kagura mumbled uncomfortably in her sleep again, her voice tainted with agony. Elise felt her forehead and flinched at how hot it was. Grasping the hilt of her sword and channeling her wind magic, she conjured a cool breeze in an attempt to make Kagami more comfortable.

"...She's in pain. We're wasting time." Ivan muttered. "I hate doing this too, but we have to hurry. Where do we go this time?"

"Not Stonewell." Elise replied quietly. "We've taken one life from Stonewell. We can't take another from-"

Suddenly, a shrill voice nearly made them jump. "K-Kagura?"

The retainers turned towards the source, and sure enough, Kagami was there.

"...Kagami?" Elise coughed, forcibly suppressing her curse's influence before continuing. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I had some time off, so I was gazing at the scenery again." Kagami explained. "But I saw you guys walking through the forest, so I thought I'd check in on what was happening. What's wrong with Kagura? She looks...like she's hurting a lot."

Kagami deserved to know the truth - after the last time, they didn't want to hide anything from her anymore. So, Ivan tried to explain everything as concisely as possible, while trying not to meet Kagami's eyes.

"...Ah. I see." Kagami's head was hung low, but her anger was nearly tangible. "So...who will it be this time? Which innocent person will pay the price for someone else's mistake? If the Lucians just hadn't angered so many people, made so many enemies...well, it's too late now. What can we do? Can the nobles...really get away with anything? No matter how heinous their actions, are they above justice?"

Ivan and Elise looked borderline miserable, so Kagami shook her head. "I'm sorry...it's not your fault. I'm just so mad that they'd take someone against their will again...sacrificing their life without their consent. It happened to me...and I wished it would never happen again, but here we are."

Elise sighed morosely. "If it's anything...maybe someone will be willing to take this. It's a slim chance, but maybe, just maybe someone will...want to give up their life."

The words left a sour taste in Elise's mouth - so much so that she barely heard Kagami's next words.

"In that case, you've found one. Me. Let me take this curse."

It took about two seconds for the retainers to process this - upon which they gasped in unison. "Y-You? You want to..."

"You heard me. Let me take the curse."

Ivan was flabbergasted. "But why? You can't just do that! You already took a curse for Kagura in the past, and look what it did to you! We can't possibly give you a _second_ one - this one might kill you outright!"

Kagami nodded. "Surely, you can help me out here, right? If I take this curse, you can find a way to get me some medical care, or something."

Elise gulped. "I guess, but-"

"Then do that." Kagami said resolutely, her heart filling with a bizarre emotion that was part fear, part courage. "I've said before that my life would have the most value if I used it to make the lives of others better - more so than if I just tried to use it for myself. And now, I have a chance. Think about it - like you said, the chances that someone will willingly give up their life are slim. If I take this curse, I'll be able to save somebody from having their life stolen from them. And...well, I'll be able to save my dearest friend, too."

"...Are you sure?" Ivan asked again. "The nobles will refuse to acknowledge you, even if you sacrifice yourself. We could never do this to you, but if _you_ want to..."

Elise was aghast. "But what about your future? You'd throw that away like that?"

The girl nodded. "For the last time...let me do it. My future is an uncertain one - the only guarantee I have is a life full of pain, or one cut short. Me continuing to live on in search of a future is a gamble in itself. I can take another gamble."

The retainers really, _really_ didn't want to do this. But they were running out of time, and Kagami was so fervently dead-set on giving her life to her friend that it honestly kind of intimidated them. So, with heavy hearts, they unloaded their casting equipment, laid Kagura on the grassiest spot they could find, and stood back.

"I'll take care of this." Kagami assured them. "If what Kagura said about me back then is true, I should be able to cast this myself if this gear of yours has latent magic inside of it. Whatever happens to me...won't be on anyone's hands except my own."

However, as she sorted out the gear, the once-limp Kagura suddenly reached out, grabbing her wrist. "K-Kagami!"

"Kagura..." Kagami sighed. The princess' skin was alarmingly hot - mitigated or not, that curse was doing a number on her health. "Don't worry. I'm here for you."

"You can't...sacrifice yourself..." Kagura breathed desperately. "You'll die...and what will I do then? Didn't you promise me? You promised that no matter what happened to me, you'd be here for me!"

Kagami connected some metallic wires. "And I'm here for you now. I'm saving you."

"At what cost? Your life isn't worth this!"

"...Actually, it is." Kagami muttered. "My life is for helping people. Saving someone's life is the greatest help one can give. If I do this, I save some innocent person from a miserable fate...I save someone else's Kagami. You've given me so much, Kagura...you're very dear to me. Saving you is the greatest honor I could ever ask for."

"I can't...accept this..."

Kagami frowned. "Would you rather let another random innocent die? If someone has to suffer, or even die...let it be me."

Secretly, Kagura knew she had a point there, but it didn't make it any less painful to swallow. Wasn't Kagami innocent too?

"Kagami! Please, stop this!" Kagura groaned, only to cough violently. She had lost all power in her body and mind, and was now unable to protest against what her friend was doing. "You can't...do this! I'll never forgive you...I'll never forgive myself..."

"...I'm sorry." Kagami exhaled shakily, pressing a metal implement onto Kagura's forehead. "I'm being selfish. But I want to prove, once and for all, that my life has meaning. In a world where nobody else appreciates what I do...where I can't do what I want...what have I done to validate my existence so far? You're my one friend, the one who understands me and brings me so much joy. If I had to choose one thing to be my proof of meaningful existence...I want to put my life at the stake for your sake. I want to at least have that...because of my actions, a wonderful person will be able to live on, and smile again. Then, whenever I die - be it here, or later - I'll be able to say that I saved the one closest to me. Please tolerate my selfish wish."

Kagura couldn't muster up any more words, simply crying silently as she heard her friend deprecate herself. Kagami meant so much to her...but she meant so little to herself. She'd never show it, and maybe she didn't even know it, but being constantly hated and ignored by everyone over thirteen-odd years had ripped her ego to shreds. Was it truly impossible for her to find value in her own life, rather than the values she gave to other people? Would it really take sacrificing her own life for her to find self-validation? 

_If you die...will I be able to smile again?_

Through her tears, Kagura faintly saw a series of colored flashes. Almost instantly, the fatigue, heat, and agony wracking her body faded away.

Kagura blinked the tears out of her eyes and sat up. Before her stood Kagami, looking none the worse for wear. She blinked again, before her tears started flowing again. "I can't believe you...I can't believe you! H-How could you do this...Ivan, Elise, prepare to handle whatever happens to Kagami! We need to save her!"

The retainers snapped to attention and prepared their magic. "We know."

Kagami let out a quiet laugh. "See, Kagura! It's fine now! I'm fine!"

She faltered as her vision started swimming. Dizziness started setting in as she staggered in place, catching herself before she could fall. "I..."

"K-Kagami!" Kagura screamed. "Please, tell me what you're feeling!"

Kagami's mind became numb as searing heat started spreading through her body, like mycelium growing through mud. "I'm managing it! I'm doing okay..."

Despite her foggy, dazed mind, she tried to smile, even as her vision became stained with a blooming, bright crimson. "I...I'm...fine...Kagura..."

Kagura screamed again, as Ivan and Elise gasped in alarm. Kagami's skin was turning alarmingly pale, but more alarming still was the blood seeping from her eyes. As Kagami tried to take a step forward, she let out a shrill scream as her legs gave way from beneath her, sending her frail form falling into Ivan's arms.

"By the heavens!" Ivan hissed. "Elise, stabilize her! We're losing her already!"

Clutched in his embrace, Kagami screamed again, a mixture of tears and blood pouring from her eyes. Ignoring the crimson staining his flawless silver armor, Ivan tried to get Kagami in a less uncomfortable position as Elise frantically scanned Kagami's body, identifying ailments and trying to suppress them with her healing magic.

Kagami wanted to say something, but reassurance was out of the question at this point. Unbearable pain pulsed through every iota of her form - she felt like all the fluid in her body was boiling into steam and cooking her from the inside out. Even as she grit her teeth, she couldn't hold back her screams of agony. Her instincts screamed at her to lash out and wildly strike at everything in the area, but her body had been robbed of what little strength it had. Even her tensed jaw fell slack after a few seconds, but by then she didn't have the strength to scream, either.

Desperately, Kagura wiped the bloody tears from Kagami's face, only for more to practically gush out of her eyes. The searing heat emanating from Kagami's body was unbearable to the touch - she couldn't imagine how much pain Kagami was feeling right now. It was honestly hard to believe that she wasn't letting off steam.

"Kagami, speak to me!" Kagura pleaded. She should have been angry at her for recklessly taking on the curse like this, but she was too consumed by concern for her friend to be mad.

Kagami opened her mouth, only to cough. Rather than just saliva, a disturbing mixture of pinkish froth splashed onto the ground. Choking and gagging, Kagami threw up what was left of her lunch, the pungent fluid a disturbing shade of red.

"Oh god. Oh god." Elise muttered, trying to focus her magic and patch up what she identified as burst blood vessels. "She's suffering from a lot of internal bleeding. This is way worse than what happened to Kagura when she got this..." 

"Everything in her body's going haywire. Fluid's getting into her lungs." Ivan muttered urgently, using magic to try and draw it out as he leapt atop his horse. Kagami let out a strained wail as Ivan forcibly pulled a stream of nauseating slime out of her windpipe, before handing the tiny girl to Elise. "Elise, take care of her with Kagura. We need to get her to a Zenith hospital. I don't care if they say she's a commoner - we're ordering them to take her."

As their carriage took off, Elise leapt into the back of the carriage with Kagura, laying Kagami down on one of the benches. The girl whimpered pitifully and stared into space - it was clear that she was losing her grip on reality. Her blood-soaked eyes had gone dull - the once-glittering sapphires were now stains of muddy red, which continued to leak crimson tears that rolled down her face in macabre streams. Every few seconds, she'd choke and sputter, a grisly cocktail of saliva, phlegm, and blood leaking from her mouth, and Elise would wipe away the fluids and try her best to heal her. It screwing up all her bodily functions was one thing, but the curse had seemingly instantly ruptured a good number of Kagami's blood vessels, and Elise was doing the best she could to keep the blood loss to a minimum.

"Kagami..." Elise sighed, her voice shuddering. "Kagami, hold on. We're getting help soon, so just keep fighting. We'll be at a hospital before you know it. Don't you dare leave us before then."

"Stay with me, Kagami!" Kagura begged her, tears trickling down her cheeks. "You can't die now! I'm with you...I promise! You're going to live, and we'll keep having fun together, and talking, and enjoying life, and...and..."

The princess burst into hysterical sobbing, and Elise was too occupied with her patient to comfort her. But Kagura knew that as much as she was hurting, Kagami was definitely hurting more.

Kagami was having trouble staying conscious as the curse threatened to boil away every last bit of fluid in her body. Her external senses had already been all but destroyed - she could only feel her own scorching body heat, she was borderline blind, and the taste of blood and vomit filled her mouth. Inhaling felt like breathing in burning sand. Every time she coughed, she felt like her throat was being lacerated with barbed wire. Merely existing made her feel like her muscles were being simultaneously melted and unraveled. 

Everything hurt so much. Her entire body was paralyzed and completely lifeless save for her most basic metabolic processes working overtime to keep her alive. She was totally helpless, unable to do anything but experience this torture.

But did she regret it? Not for a second.

Kagami lasted for about five more minutes before passing out entirely, which was a problem since her body kept bleeding and choking while she was out. Elise had to put Kagami in a semi-prone recovery state while Kagura gathered up all of the useful implements she could find. As Kagura dipped towels in cold water and tried laying them atop Kagami's burning body, Elise dragged a bucket under Kagami's face so that she wouldn't choke on her own fluids as she continued gagging in her delirious stupor.

Elise would grit her teeth and try to mend all of the damage Kagami's capillary network had taken, but the bleeding didn't seem to be stopping completely. Her body temperature was still blisteringly high, and she was starting to sweat buckets. Elise had half a mind to try and give her some water, but judging from the occasional spurts of revolting fluid dripping out of her mouth, and how much hematemesis she had already gone through, Kagami's esophagus and windpipe had suffered so much damage that she really wasn't sure if that was a good idea. It might even make her choking worse.

As the cart continued its bumpy journey, Kagami would occasionally whine softly. The bucket on the floor was gradually filling up, which was bad news. However much fluid Kagami was losing now, they had to get it back to her ASAP - but it was looking bad. Kagura was chipping in as much as she could, channeling magic into Kagami while wiping away all the thickening blood oozing from her eyes and mouth, but she was finding it hard to help when she couldn't even see through her tears.

Ivan was somehow managing two horses at once, driving the carriage as fast as he could manage. The journey felt like an eternity, but they finally made it back to Zenith. He just had to hope that Kagami was still alive.

"Sir, welcome home." a soldier greeted him as he passed through the ornate city gates. "I trust that your mission went smoothly...wait, did you direct both of those horses at the same time? Is Lady Elise taking care of the princess in the back?"

Ivan ignored him. "Get me some medical staff. I need to get to the nearest hospital."

The confused knight barked out some orders to his subordinates, before turning back to the royal retainer. "What's wrong? Did Elise or the princess get hurt?"

He faltered once Elise and Kagura stepped out of the carriage, the former carrying an unfamiliar, small figure. Kagura had cried and wailed nonstop for the entire trip, so when she got back to Zenith, she somehow looked worse than when she had been carrying the curse.

"Who is that?" the guard asked. "Is that a commoner? Why did you bring them here?"

"Long story, but basically she took that deathly curse for Kagura." Ivan snapped hurriedly. He figured it'd be better to keep this as anonymous as possible, since many soldiers sneered at the rumor about Kagura's commoner friend. "We've gotta get her to a hospital."

"Hospital?" another guard repeated. "Why? It shouldn't be our trouble to take care of someone like her..."

"And so what if one of the common villagers dies because of that?" another chimed in. "They should be honored to die such a worthwhile death, right."

Be it because of her curse or her status, Ivan was getting just a bit annoyed at the responses. "I don't care about that. This is a direct order from all three of us. I'm not in a very good mood right now, so you'd be advised to get to it."

The head guard looked at Kagura, who nodded in affirmation. Sighing, he prepared to grab Kagami, only to wince at the sight of her. "God, she's all filthy and covered in blood. Do I really have to touch that?"

"I dirtied my hands taking care of her. So did the princess. Surely you can too."

The knight frowned. "Ugh. Let's get her a stretcher, or something."

Ivan had half a mind to strangle him on the spot, but doing that would do nothing for the situation. He patiently waited for what seemed like an eternity for a gurney to arrive, and quickly loaded Kagami onto it. "Elise, stay with her. I'm taking Kagura back to the castle. She definitely needs a break, and some counselling while she's at it. Maybe Damian will understand."

"Gotcha." Elise replied sternly. "I'll watch over her."

As Ivan took Kagura and headed towards the castle, Kagami murmured something as her mind floated between consciousness and slumber. Taking one last look at her, Kagura swallowed her despair and followed her retainer.

"She'll be fine, Kagura." Ivan reassured her. "They don't need to like her - our authority will keep them in line, especially if Elise is keeping an eye on her. And we've got the best medical staff and arcane healers in the kingdom...they'll fix her up soon."

Kagura was still morose. "They couldn't cure me quickly...what makes you think they can cure her? What will I do...if she doesn't make it?"

Ivan didn't reply.

When Kagami woke up, a doctor had told her it had been a little over a week since she had arrived at the unfamiliar building she found herself in. Her memory was fuzzy...she had taken that curse for Kagura, and then all she remembered was unbearable pain. By the time she had woken up, she felt like she wasn't even alive anymore - like a stray breeze would blow her away. And while she was conscious, she still felt somewhat numb to the external stimuli from the real world.

Elise often showed up to keep an eye on her, and made sure to fill her in on what had happened. After taking the curse, her body had been all but destroyed - the malignant magic coursing through her body had nearly killed her on the spot. However, they had managed to suppress the curse long enough to reach a Zenith hospital, where they had forced all the doctors and healers to treat her.

None of the doctors had any hope of her surviving - not helped by the fact that they were always doing the bare minimum that Ivan or Elise would order - but in an incredible twist of fate, a week had passed without them having to bury Kagami. While medicine worked about the same on Kagami, magical spells that hadn't worked very well on Kagura had made an effect on her. The doctors were baffled - was it some differences in their biology? A matter of timing and the curse being weakened from dealing with Kagura for some time? Or was it that Kagami's conductivity to magical energy surpassed even that of Kagura? Nobody knew for sure. All they knew was that they had managed to stabilize her to the point where Kagami could outlast the curse, given further treatment.

"It's nothing short of a miracle." Ivan had said when he had dropped by. "I have no idea how we managed to treat you so well, but I'm not complaining. You're a lucky young lass."

Despite that, it would likely take at least a month for the curse to fully vanish from Kagami's body. Plus, she had lost so much blood and other fluids that they'd have to restore those, too. According to Elise, this type of curse was almost like a living being, making it quite similar to an actual infectious disease. She theorized that this one might have even combined with her previous curse to draw power from it. However, her old curse hadn't weakened in the slightest - but that was okay by her.

For now, she just had to keep on living. To absolutely nobody's surprise, the hospital staff wanted nothing to do with her - if it hadn't been for the authority of those vouching for Kagami, they probably would have dumped her outside and let her die. Even now, they seemed to be making an active effort to give her the bare minimum that they were being ordered to give - they almost never checked up on her, scraped together leftovers for her meals, and altogether seemed to try their best to ignore her existence.

However, Ivan and Elise would frequently visit her in turn. Checking up on her status, making sure her vitals were stable, and even bringing her news about the outside world. Sometimes, they would even bring her unique Zenith foods to try out. This filled Kagami with joy, but more importantly, it filled her with relief - at this point, she was almost certain that the royal retainers had managed to overpower her curse's influence.

Kagura herself didn't visit, though. Ivan said that she was just busy, and that she would definitely visit once she had time - Kagami knew that was true, but she still couldn't help but feel sad. But sure enough, a few weeks after she had been sent to the hospital, Kagura paid her a visit one rainy day.

The Lucian princess had finally found time in her busy schedule to visit her dear friend - who she was simultaneously angry at and immeasurably grateful to. For Kagami to take that curse like that was so unbelievably stupid of her...the fear she had felt when Kagami had been wailing and practically melting away before her eyes was unrivaled by anything she had ever felt before. Not even any of the horrors she had seen on the battlefield could hold a candle to the raw terror she had felt on that day.

But because of her actions, Kagura was safe and healthy. She had already felt incredibly indebted to Kagami for the mere action of being her friend - the feeling had only increased once she had discovered about the origins of her curse. But now, it was a different story altogether.

Kagami had saved Kagura's life three times. The first had been when she had unwillingly taken the curse meant to turn humanity against her. The second had been when she had befriended her, saving Kagura from an empty life of loneliness. And now, she had saved her a third time, taking a curse that had nearly destroyed her body for the sole purpose of ensuring that Kagura would live without it.

_Kagami...if only you'd stop seeing yourself as a martyr..._

She was scared about how much the second curse had destroyed her friend, so when she took her first step into the hospital, she was worried sick. She marched through the ceramic-lined walls, preparing to conceal their meeting with magic, until she found Kagami's hospital room - a small, lonely cubicle in the corner of the building.

Stepping into the room, she gingerly pinched the pale curtains around the bed and pulled them aside. Clad in a white hospital gown, Kagami tilted her head up, offering a small smile. The girl was already tiny and frail to begin with, but now there was an almost tangible air of fatigue and weakness emanating from her. Kagura felt like if she so much as breathed on her, she would break.

"Kagura..." Kagami whispered, her voice barely audible. "You visited..."

"How could I not?" Kagura lamented. "K-Kagami...how could you do such a thing to yourself? I...really thought you were dead back there."

"...Sorry." was all Kagami could say. "Are you still mad at me? I understand if you are."

Kagura sighed. "I'm not mad at you, but you worried me sick. All I want is for you to stop trying to give up your life for other people. It's good to be kind...but please, you have to be kind to yourself, too. You matter just as much as everyone else."

Kagami was silent. Kagura knew it probably sounded like an alien concept to a girl who had spent most of her life being ignored and abused - Kagami was almost certainly deeply immersed in some degree of self-loathing at this point. But as her friend, Kagura had a duty to try and guide her in a way where she could live her best life, circumstances be damned.

Finally, Kagami nodded. "If me being like this hurts you, I guess I'll try to change it."

"Do it for yourself." was the resolute reply. "No need to do things for me."

"...Can I do that? I guess...I'll try."

However, as relieved as Kagura was to hear at least a verbal confirmation, that wasn't what she was here for. Pulling up a chair, she sat down beside her friend. "More importantly, how are you doing now? How do you feel? Do you need anything?"

Kagami laughed softly. "I'm recovering smoothly. I still feel pretty sick, I won't lie, but it's definitely getting better every day."

"Can you walk comfortably yet?"

The commoner frowned. "I...don't think so. I've got no strength, for now. I tried walking around a bit, but I still have to hold onto something if I don't want to fall. It really sucks..."

Kagura felt her heart tighten at Kagami's state. "How about other parts of your body? Does anything hurt? Are you bleeding?"

"No bleeding outside of occasional nose bleeds. They said I've recovered most of the fluid I lost in that fiasco, too. But it does still hurt...my body temperature isn't that hot anymore, but my muscles sometimes start aching a lot." Kagami explained. "Oh...uh, can you help me get a glass of water? I'm kind of dry..."

Kagura happily obliged, grabbing the nearest pitcher and pouring a glass of water for her. Putting it on a tray and sliding the tray onto Kagami's lap, she watched as Kagami slowly picked up the glass, trying to hide the fact that her hands were still shaking. Gingerly, she sipped the water a bit, then put the glass back down. "That's better. Thanks."

"Oh, I also brought you some stuff." Kagura went on, rummaging into the bag she was carrying and pulling out a package. "Hospital food doesn't include that many sweet things, so I got you some snacks."

"T-Thanks. I haven't tasted sweets in a while..." Kagami said gratefully. While the hospital _did_ have desserts of sorts, her meals never had one. Either the staff were short on desserts, were up to some foul play, or - most likely - both.

Kagami opened the package to find that it was full of some soft, white substance. She could feel the chill from the box without even touching it. "Is this the ice cream you talked about before?"

"Mhm!" Kagura nodded. "Apparently the people from Aether make it in a different way than we do, so I decided to bring some. I figured you'd want something cold, with how you were burning up all the time when I last saw you."

The princess took a spoon out of her bag and scooped up a small spoonful of ice cream, preparing to feed it to her ill friend. However, Kagami took the spoon from her, adamant on eating it herself. Placing the spoon between her lips, Kagami shuddered as she felt a surge of cold shoot through her body - nearly breaking into a coughing fit as a result. When Kagura grabbed a towel and held it under Kagami's mouth, Kagami managed to recover and continue eating. It tasted...well, amazing. The ice cream was a perfect combination of cold and sweet, the flavor somehow simultaneously simple and rich.

Kagura giggled as she watched Kagami eat the ice cream at a gradually increasing speed. "How is it?"

Kagami laughed. "I love it! You really do know my tastes, huh?"

"Well, you eat basically everything."

"Huh? I do not!"

Kagura laughed again, but her smile soon faded. "But Kagami...I didn't come here just to check on you. There's something important I needed to tell you..."

The morose look on the princess' face could only mean one thing. "Is it your ascension?"

Kagami could tell just from looking at Kagura's change in expression that she had hit the nail on the head. Sighing, Kagura stood up and stared out the window, watching the raindrops slowly form and roll down the glass pane. "Yeah. It's coming soon...and by soon, I mean probably this week. I know I have to do this, but I'm still so scared. I don't think I'll have as much time to see you from now on..."

The commoner girl instinctively raised her hand to pat Kagura's head - or even her shoulder - but her lying posture and hampered mobility, combined with Kagura's standing height, unfortunately made it impossible. "You said that last time, and you still managed. It doesn't matter how little we can see each other - I could never hold that against you. And like I said before, I'll always be ready for you...if anything, if we can't see each other that often, then every time we _do_ see each other will be all the more precious, right?"

"A-Aww, you're too kind. This is different, though, and you know that." Kagura mumbled. "And besides, that's not my main concern. After a whole bunch of research and questioning, the chances of me fully retaining my sense of self after taking such otherworldly power is...a lot lower than I thought. I'm scared I'll become someone else...someone that you wouldn't want to be friends with."

Kagami reached up again, and this time Kagura knelt down and let Kagami rub her hair. "You can't say those kinds of things. No matter what happens to you, I don't believe you'll ever have whatever core values that make you...well, _you_ erased. So, you'll always be Kagura. And as long as you're Kagura, I'll always be friends with you."

Kagura smiled sadly. "Y-You really are too nice...but while I still can, I need to apologize in advance for anything I do as a Celestial vessel. I'm so scared that the new me might end up doing something to hurt you. I-If that happens...can you please, please forgive me?"

The answer was immediate. "I trust you. You would never hurt me. I'd never need to forgive you, because I could never blame you for anything. But if you insist...I'd still forgive you for anything. I promise."

Kagura couldn't help herself. She leaned over and wrapped Kagami in a hug. "That...that makes me so happy. That's the last thing I wanted to ask for before I take this honor. I...feel much more ready now...thank you, Kagami!"

She was so caught up in the emotion that she didn't realize that the helpless Kagami was struggling, both from the pressure and from her face being buried in Kagura's chest. "K-Kagura! I can't breathe!"

"Oh! S-Sorry..."

Despite this, Kagami still returned the gesture in kind. Wrapping her arms around Kagura, she hugged her back, as tightly as she could manage. She had been uncomfortably warm for the entire duration of her illness...but this extra warmth was still more than welcome.

A little over a week later, Kagami was let out of the hospital, although "forcefully evicted" might have been a more appropriate term. The curse had been all but eliminated, and all of her symptoms had vanished. Ivan had personally delivered her back to Stonewell, where she resumed her everyday life. As she had thought, nobody had even noticed she had been gone. Thank goodness it was the summer break, otherwise her teachers would have yelled at her for ages.

Ever since that meeting, Kagura had vanished. Even a week after Kagami's recovery, Kagura hadn't show up at all - not even in the Stonewell newspapers. Kagami was getting a little worried that something had happened, but she waved off her suspicions. Kagura was doing something as difficult as it was incredible, so it'd make sense that she'd need some time to get used to it.

However, after two weeks, Kagura appeared again. Kagami had been tending to the flowers growing at her sanctuary when she was startled by a voice from behind her. "Kagami?"

"A-Aaah!" Kagami squeaked, turning around so quickly that she almost slipped on the grass at her feet. "K-Kagura! You're here! How did it go? Are you okay?"

Despite her happiness, Kagami could immediately tell something was off about Kagura. Her eyes seemed brighter than usual, and her body seemed to vaguely sparkle with motes of golden light. More importantly, she emanated an aura of incredible power, one so strong that it exerted a borderline physical pressure over everything in the area.

_She's part Celestial now..._

Her expression of joy waned once Kagura let out a tired sigh. From her mannerisms, the princess' less emotional persona was in control. "I...need to talk to you. I messed up..."

She blinked, and Kagura switched to her usual, friendlier personality. Then, tears immediately sprung from her eyes. "K-Kagami! I...I..."

"What is it?" Kagami asked, fearlessly running up to Kagura despite the feeling that she was about to be suddenly crushed by the pressure the princess was exerting. "What happened? I'm all ears!"

Even Kagura's tears somehow seemed to glisten faintly. "I took on that Celestial's power mostly fine. But then I went into my first battle with that power, and...something happened. It makes me _way_ stronger...but after using it for a bit, my mind got fuzzy. Then, I just started...acting by myself. And I...I released all of my power."

Kagami was getting increasingly worried. "What...did you do?"

"I...attacked relentlessly, and without mercy. I didn't try to spare the enemy!" Kagura wailed. "I couldn't control myself...I just watched as I attacked everything. I unleashed all of my new power upon the enemies, and...I killed them. I destroyed all of them. They were occupying a Lucian village, and I released so much power that I...destroyed the village. Can you imagine that? An entire village wiped out as collateral, probably with Lucian civilians in it...and I could do nothing but watch myself do it! Kagami...I killed so many people! I just wanted to protect my own people...and now even they might be dead because of my actions! How many...how many people are dead because of me?! How many precious lives did I just snuff out?!"

"Kagura!" a horrified Kagami yelled, trying to calm her hyperventilating friend. "Calm down! We...can talk about this calmly!"

"I...I'm not human anymore..." Kagura cried. "What have I become? I destroyed so much life in just my first combat trial...what do they call me? Kagami...are you scared of me? You can feel how I'm different, right? I scare you, don't I?"

"I'm not scared!" Kagami reassured her. "I won't be. No matter how powerful you become...no matter how much destruction you can wreak, I'll never turn away from you! I made a promise, right?"

Kagami wasn't scared of Kagura for a second, but she was still quite unnerved. An accidental discharge of power had slaughtered an enemy military force _and_ instantly destroyed a whole village as collateral? Just how much had that Celestial souped up Kagura's powers? And were those powers really going to take over her mind?

Kagura's breathing slowed, but she was still crying. "Kagami...I know I asked you to forgive me for anything...but can I really ask that now? I'm not the Kagura you know anymore! Kagura...would never kill so many people!"

Kagami did the only thing she could think of, leaping at Kagura and wrapping her arms around her. Instantly, she felt a strange energy seeping into her body and heating her up, but she tightened her embrace nonetheless. "Kagura, please! I promised...I'd always be your friend, no matter what happened! You didn't mean what you did...I believe that you can reclaim your old self, the one that wanted to make a peaceful world for all to enjoy! You might have made a mistake now...but you can improve! Just for now, look past it and calm down. We can talk, I'm here for you. I will always be here for you!"

To her surprise, Kagura hugged back. "Kagami...you still trust me? Even as I am now...you still trust me? That's right...I can rely on you. You're here for me, and I'm here for you. Thank you...thank you!"

However, Kagura's physical strength had increased just as much as her physical strength. With a new standard of strength, she was unable to restrain herself - and Kagami's frail body was unable to take the strain.

_Crack!_

Kagami froze as she felt several sharp cracks resound through her body, followed by piercing pain blooming through her. "K-Kagura..."

"...What?"

"...It...hurts...Kagura..."

Kagura had also heard the cracks, and her face turned as white as a sheet once she realized what had happened. "I...what? What...did I do? Kagami...I hurt you!? No...I can't! You said you trusted me...that I'd never hurt you! Then this...can't be true! No...it's not true! I hurt you! No! _No!"_

In response to her emotional breakdown, sparks started manifesting around Kagura's body as her Celestial power started going haywire again. Kagami registered a golden halo manifesting around Kagura before she suddenly felt like she had gotten several bolts of lightning forced directly into her body. As golden arcs of crackling energy erupted from Kagura's skin and forced themselves into Kagami's body, the smaller girl screamed out loud as she experienced a feeling that could be best described as having her blood replaced with electrified, molten copper.

To make matters worse, Kagura hugged Kagami harder. Another crunch, another one of Kagami's bones that was probably shattered. Despite the overflowing agony, Kagami managed to squeak out a whimper. "Kagura...please, stop..."

Kagura froze at these words, dropping Kagami on the grassy dirt. Her body was broken and scorched, ravaged by both immense pressure and magical lightning.

"K-Kagami?" Kagura whispered in disbelief. She read her vitals, and her heart nearly stopped - Kagami was not only barely conscious, she was barely _alive._

Within the span of seconds, she managed to completely reverse the damage done to Kagami's body - such was the extent of the magic power granted to her. However, the damage didn't lie with Kagami's body - it laid within Kagura's mind.

_I...nearly killed her. I nearly killed Kagami._

Kagura could barely see through the tears as she checked Kagami's vitals again. They were stable, and Kagami seemed to be coming to.

_She trusted me. She trusted that I'd never hurt her...and I nearly killed her. My dearest friend...could have joined the lives that I snuffed out._

Kagura stood up and tried to hold in the power surging through her. For all of her new power, her heart was just as fragile as before - and it had been dealt a grievous wound.

_I should have known...I didn't deserve her trust. How can she trust me now? How can I offer to protect her, to be her friend...if I can't even stop myself from hurting her? How will she think of me now...that I can't even promise her simple things like this?_

Kagura was terrified. Out of all the things she had seen throughout her life, the thing that now scared her the most was none other than herself.

Just as Kagami started to wake up, Kagura's fear overwhelmed her. Turning around, she shot Kagami one last look before fleeing, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I beg you...please, forgive me!"

Feebly raising a hand, Kagami mumbled at the receding figure. "It's not...your fault...you didn't mean it..."

But Kagura was already gone.

_What happened?_

Kagami knew that Kagura was scared. She also knew that she was never going to forgive herself for what she had just done. Kagami felt no animosity towards her for nearly killing her - it had been an accident, and Kagura would _still_ never hurt her intentionally. But now, Kagura had fled - not giving Kagami a chance to talk to her properly.

_She must be feeling so horrible now. This new power seems to be doing a lot more harm than good so far. Is this...what she wanted? No, it can't be. She had been conflicted at first. What caused her to make this decision?_

_Oh, right...me._

Kagami remembered that day, when she had encouraged Kagura to go for this honor and become a Celestial vessel. Little had she known on that day that it would become a moment that would haunt Kagami for the rest of her life. 

_What did I do in that moment? Had I done the right thing?_

Many years later, she would still remember it as clear as day. And a single question would constantly resurface, burned into her mind.

_If I had said something different…if I had said what I truly believed..._

_...would things be different now?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not-Smash game was a fun little addition. If I had a nickel for every time one of my friends turned out to be a Ganon main in Smash, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. The latter part was a vague reflection of my experience when said Ganon mains fought each other in what was possibly the funniest match I've seen.
> 
> I get that by this point these two are probably more than friends, but I'm just going to say they're both somewhat unaware of it for now.
> 
> And thus begins the big sad™


	5. Joy's Transience, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Change can often be unforgiving, but some things truly never change._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a disclaimer, this chapter is very long. You may want to bring some snacks, or something.

_One year after the ascension. Kagami and Kagura: age 15._

Within the span of the last few years, the Lucian conquest across the continent of Lurie had accelerated rapidly. Rumor had it that they had somehow gotten the child princess of the kingdom to fight on the front lines, and that she was a mage of prodigal power. How the other kingdoms thought about them sending someone so young to fight their war was one thing, but the fact that the armies of Lucia had increased in power substantially since she had appeared was another. And in the last year, she had become blessed with an incredible power - one that laid waste to just about everything the Lucians faced in combat. Faced with the impending threat, the various powers across Lurie were galvanized into action - the countries and kingdoms once content to sit on the sidelines now raring to defend themselves from the Lucians' campaign.

The Statican Empire was one of such powers. What was now one of the few nations in Lurie that could call themselves a superpower, the empire had humble beginnings. Once a group of pioneers from Theryl, they had moved to Lucia and set up in the southeast quadrant of the vast continent, using their advanced technology to give them an edge. However, what made them stand out was that they had eventually found a way to flawlessly combine the magic of Lurie with the technology of Theryl to produce wondrous machines and make incredible strides in scientific progress. Combined with luck with finding natural resources and careful management of said resources, they had become incredibly successful - with their incredible wealth, technology, and highly moral citizenship leading to a bustling, high-tech utopia.

Currently, they stood near the apex of Lurie. Their civilization was huge and thriving, and their military might almost unrivaled. The kingdom was currently led by Fulgurus, a remarkable man and the emperor by birthright. Despite having suffered a childhood injury that had left his body ravaged and in need of cybernetic replacements, Fulgurus led the empire with wisdom, dignity, and kindness, wishing to fulfil the dreams and expectations of those who had come before him. To his people, he was their adored leader, whom they would entrust with their lives. To any enemies of the Statican Empire, he was the terror of the battlefield and an indomitable leader who didn't know defeat. They'd whisper his name in fear and awe, calling him solely by the alias they had given him - the Lord of Lightning, who commanded the storm and turned any battlefield into his lethal maelstrom. Through relentless training and countless enhancements to his mechanical body, Fulgurus had transcended humanity - achieving a level of power comparable to that of a demigod.

The Statican Empire was also one built on expansionist values - while many disputes were solved by negotiation, they had their fair share of conquest too. They, like many others, believed that they deserved to stand atop Lurie, with all of the other factions under their rule. Yet even as they conquered cities, villages, and kingdoms, most of those that the Staticans defeated and conquered had little vitriol to give. Somehow, whenever the Empire absorbed nations or settlements into themselves, life would almost always stay the same, or even improve - they didn't believe in oppression or segregation of the defeated, and they'd do as much as they could to instate the Statican Empire's high standards of living into every place they conquered.

"You are a part of our glorious empire now." Fulgurus had often said to those he defeated. "You are now our citizens, and we will treat you like we treat our citizens."

This reputation had not gone unnoticed. Many of the Empire's enemies were now inclined to surrender with minimal fighting - the Staticans would instantly turn pacifist if their targets surrendered, and only the most stubborn settlements clung to the hope that they could defeat the elite armada in combat. In fact, under Fulgurus' rule, they had seemingly gone out of their way to conquer and absorb civilizations that were doing poorly in life, or those plagued by oppressive administration. 

Fulgurus touted it as merely conquering those who were less likely to fight back, but nearly everyone knew his true intentions - he wanted to improve their lives by making them parts of his empire, where they would be treated kindly and generously. He dreamed of a world where the great Statican Empire would stand atop Lurie and rule over all with fairness and dignity. Things like poverty or oppression didn't exist in his ideal world, and he made every effort possible to make sure they stayed a figment of the imagination within the Statican Empire - with surprisingly high levels of success.

The Lucian presence rapidly spreading across Lurie was of great interest to the Staticans, who were wary of the threat they posed. Not only was the full-power Lucian army one of the few strong enough to stand against theirs, their desire for conquest seemed to be even greater than their own. In addition, scouts had shown that for all of its success, Lucia was plagued with oppression and class segregation. The upper class lived in splendor, while the lower class lived in squalor - and none of the classes seemed willing - or able - to even so much as interact with each other.

Fulgurus put all of this together and made his choice - they would take their fight to Lucia. In his eyes, a kingdom that didn't care about its citizens didn't deserve to exist. They would crush their forces and overthrow their leadership, and in doing that, simultaneously neuter their threat to their Empire while saving all of those who were oppressed within the kingdom. If they were lucky, it might even improve their standing with all of those Lucia waged war with right now.

And so, the Staticans waged war against Lucia. The first couple of battles were an overwhelming victory for them - not only had they taken the Lucians by surprise, but their level of firepower could not be matched without preparation. As they pushed closer towards the heart of the nation, liberating all settlements they passed by, the fights became harder, bloodier, and more taxing. Even for the Staticans, the magical might of the Lucian elite forces were to be feared - and their technology suggested that they had gained support from another civilization similar to their own.

However, a main concern was the crown jewel of the armed forces. Princess Kagura of Lucia, who had apparently been born an incredibly prodigal mage and had been trained for combat. Recently, she had apparently taken on the power of an astral god from the stars above, giving her power that could be rivaled by few. She was a major problem - this Kagura had already proven herself by eliminating a Statican air squadron by her lonesome. It was eventually determined that she was their biggest threat - Kagura's power seemed to rival that of Fulgurus himself, or even _surpass_ it.

This only made the Staticans more driven to defeat their foes. Being a civilization priding themselves on justice, for a mere child to have taken on such an otherworldly power solely to conquer disgusted them. If Fulgurus had to guess, it probably hadn't even been her choice - scouts had shown that the Lucian royalty was highly manipulative.

Before long, the Staticans had pushed their enemy far into their own territory, their coordinated assaults focusing on one spot. Now close to Zenith itself, they were planning on taking a mountaintop settlement to use the area as a striking point - the village that the Lucians called Stonewell. From that new strategic location, they'd prepare a final attack on Zenith, shatter their defenses in one blow, and seize the capital.

It would be difficult, for sure. The royalty and nobles of Lucia made sure to back up their status with combat ability, and the princess Kagura would almost certainly be there too. But Fulgurus was still confident in their power - they could still lose this fight, of course, but they had a much higher chance to win it.

The Statican Empire would never accept loss. Every man and woman in their army was strong, skilled, and devoted. Their war machines were capable of erasing all that stood before them like sickles cutting down wheat. His personal squad of elites had never failed to meet his high standards.

And he was the Lord of Lightning, who did not know defeat.

"Don't let a single one past this point!"

Ivan, clad in silvery-white plate armor, barked a command to his troops. Beside him stood Elise, clad in an identical suit. The Statican forces had pushed them alarmingly close to their main base at Zenith, and they couldn't afford to give them any more ground - especially because seizing Stonewell would give them a large tactical advantage. It was obvious what they were going for - seize the vantage point, then shatter their defense in one focused strike.

While Ivan and Elise were the royal retainers, anyone of high standing within Lurie was required to back up their status with just as much combative ability. "Sitting on a throne means nothing if you can't prove that you're worthy of it" was the specific wording the current rulers used to describe the philosophy carried down through generations of Lucians. Lucia had a duty to soar above all others, and so their citizens and leaders must also be able to lay low any threats to their homeland.

Ivan and Elise, as some of the military's most esteemed leaders, had trained relentlessly since childhood to wield incredible magic powers. Together, they were known as the Tempest's Thunder and Tempest's Gale, respectively - wielders of lightning and wind, with their squads capable of breaking an ill-prepared force in an instant. For all their leadership and power, they weren't immune to doubts about their country's questionable decisions - but they were born and raised as Lucians, so the obligation to fight for Lucia's sake was instilled into their minds. Secretly, they were hoping that once Kagura became queen, many of the kingdom's less desirable traits would be abolished - so they could serve their country with no regrets.

Even Gustav and Aika would fight on the front lines if things got hairy, such as now. While they spent more time doing ruling things than fighting, their abilities were still honed from countless years of combat training. Their armor and weapons, passed down through generations, had been repeatedly enhanced over countless years, improved by kings and queens that wanted to reach even greater heights of power. Now, many believed the equipment was more magic than metal - capable of bestowing their wielders what amounted to victory itself. With their legendary gear, extraordinary magic power, and powerful leadership, Gustav and Aika had repeatedly led the Lucians to victory over their reign, their power burning away all who refused to kneel.

But now, they could not effortlessly subjugate their new foe. The Staticans were just as diligent as them, and just as powerful. While the Lucians had their own share of magical technology, the Staticans had managed to fuse the two powers with an almost uncanny efficiency. Their leader in particular was a god amongst men - even the strongest Lucians paled at the prospect of engaging him in combat. 

But then again, _they_ also had a goddess of war on their side - Kagura. However, Kagura was off defending Zenith from another push from the opposite side - they'd have to fight this battle without her.

Ivan grit his teeth as he saw the enemy approach from the distance - a legion of metal monsters on legs and treads, crackling with borderline otherworldly power. In the distance, they saw several monolithic metal structures - mobile battlestations, from which the Staticans commanded their troops and deployed stored reinforcements. Swarming their war machines, Statican soldiers wearing heavy-duty mechanical armor raised their weapons. And commanding the troops, several different soldiers barked orders to their underlings, while rallying their morale.

Everyone knew about the elites of the Statican army, identified by the special battle standards they carried. There was a specific handful of soldiers who had been hand-picked and trained by Fulgurus himself. Trained to be his personal team of elite guards, these soldiers served as leaders in the Empire's strike force. They were known as the Barons of Lightning - the soldiers with prowess and raw power capable of suppressing an entire dispatchment of enemies on their lonesome. Those who panicked in the face of their onslaught never lived to try a second time.

"Lucian forces!" a booming voice yelled from the other side of the battlefield. "We are giving you this chance to surrender. If you give us control over this area, we will not attack you, even if you choose to retreat rather than submit. This is the first and last time we will make this offer. We are giving you one minute to comply!"

One minute later, there was no response. Since they couldn't get a surrender, the Statican battle line advanced, preparing to _force_ a surrender.

"Enter formation!" Elise yelled. "All troops, prepare to meet their attack! Mages, prepare barriers to block their first bombardment! Commanders, direct the troops - Ivan and I are needed on the front lines!"

With a series of sky-shattering bangs, the first wave came - Statican tanks firing countless laser-guided rockets from their missile batteries. In response, the Lucian magi-tech war machines erected colossal barriers of translucent energy to absorb the barrage. While the initial barrage was handily blocked by the barrier, the same could not be said for the one right after - having finished charging, dozens of Statican railgun tanks fired high-energy blasts, the supersonic bolts smashing into the barrier and driving cracks into the shield.

The Lucian army retaliated with a borderline sky-eclipsing fusillade of magical artillery. Meteors of various elemental magic soared through the air in a lethal rainbow, showering upon the Staticans and forcing them to block them with personal shields of their own. While high-level Lucian mages could crush a Statican war machine in seconds, their more heavy vehicles could take a significant beating.

The two sides clashed like opposing tides, the soldiers tearing into each other. By default, a Statican foot soldier held the advantage over their Lucian counterpart due to their superior technology. However, the difference was marginal at best - both sides pushed and pulled, but without external help, neither would get the advantage.

Magical blasts soared through the air and punched holes in Statican armed vehicles, while more railgun blasts did the same to the magical war machines of the Lucians. There was a mechanical whine as Statican engineers released countless armed drones into the air, which joined their aerial war machines to conduct bombing runs. A hail of explosive shots and armor-piercing rounds tore into the Lucian ranks, their defenders doing what they could to mitigate the damage.

With another series of bangs, ultra-long-range Statican artillery tanks let loose a volley of high-impact shells that screamed through the air. The Lucians responded with a barrage of magically-fuelled ordnance that struck down many of the shells - but both sides still took many explosive rounds that cratered the ground as if the mud was loose sand.

Storms of rockets, bullets, lasers, and other energetic blasts surged from one side of the battlefield. From the other, fusillades of magically-enhanced ordnance, barrages of enchanted bolts, and jets of raw magical power met the wave in a colossal impact. On the ground, soldiers yelled and fought like demons, mercilessly cutting each other down as the bodies started piling up. In this hell of a battlefield, only chaos reigned.

Ivan roared as he raised his sword, the blue gem in its hilt crackling. With a swing of his blade, he sent bolts of lightning crashing down on the Staticans before him. While their armor seemed highly resistant to energy, resistance didn't mean immunity - so Ivan was free to constantly rain lightning upon all enemy troops he could see. In between strikes, he'd duck and weave between Statican attacks, shielding what he could not dodge. Whenever any soldiers were foolish enough to meet him in melee combat, he would cut them down on the spot, his enchanted blade strong enough to cut through their mechanical battle armor.

Fighting at his side, Elise repeatedly slashed the air, every stroke releasing a razor-sharp gust of wind capable of slicing through Statican heavy armor. The gem in her blade's hilt burning red, Elise maintained a magical, swirling gale around them, which threw aside all but the sturdiest of attackers while acting as a shield against enemy projectiles.

This was the power their enemies feared. While their leadership was one thing, the combined firepower of the two elite knights was revered by both foes and allies. Together, they were offense and defense, power and technique. A literal tempest.

A railgun tank fired at Elise, who summoned the wind and leapt high into the air. As the tank started charging energy between its two-pronged cannon again, Elise propelled herself at the vehicle with another gust and drove her enchanted blade into one of the prongs. Electricity crackled from the gash as Elise raised her sword, charged it, and sliced it clean off, leaping aside as the half-charged ball of energy exploded. Landing beside her, Ivan located the cockpit and drove his sword into it, before releasing a surge of electrical power - he didn't stop until the tank stopped all movement, upon which he became confident that he had incinerated all the drivers.

A second, more heavily-armed vehicle turned towards them, flanked by two smaller tanks. The main tank was a highly advanced model - packing twin rail cannons, several anti-personnel turrets, and smaller machine guns. The ones flanking it were armed with high-pressure flamethrowers, designed to incinerate swaths of troops in a snap and cook soldiers within armored machines or bunkers.

The flame tanks let loose a torrent of burning death, only for Elise to deflect the high-pressure jets with a blast of wind - although she struggled to do so. As Ivan moved in to cover her, the main vehicle let loose a barrage of gunfire while trying to line up a clean shot with its twin railguns. Ivan's swordsmanship let him parry any bullets that their shields could not block, wreathing himself in lightning and launching himself towards his foes. Statican troops brandished their weapons in response, only for Lucian soldiers armed with crystalline bows to let loose a volley of magical arrows to drive them off.

Ivan narrowly dodged the railgun blasts as he leapt into the air, his honed senses letting him weave between the streams of fire and rapid-fire blasts his enemies were putting out. Landing on the first flame tank, he raised his sword and let loose a rapid-fire flurry of strikes that ripped a hole in its armor. Finding his target, Ivan pointed his blade at the fuel tanks for the flamethrowers - cleverly hidden deep within the tank's armor - and struck it with a lightning bolt, causing it to explode violently. Elise noticed his strategy and did the same, the second flame tank exploding in a burst of shrapnel.

Two more tanks rolled in, one letting loose a sustained beam of searing energy while the other launched a fusillade of heat-seeking missiles. Lucian magi-tech walkers met the attack with magical barriers before retaliating with crystalline bolts of power. There was a colossal stomping sound as a six-legged Statican walker rumbled into the fray, a huge articulated energy cannon mounted atop its central body. One blast of superheated plasma later, and a huge swath of the muddy ground had been blasted into glass, the Lucians standing there reduced to fetid vapor.

The sight made Ivan and Elise sick to their stomachs, but they pressed on. Raising his sword, Ivan let out a crackling surge of power that struck the metal monsters, lightning rippling across their armor. While most of the tanks resisted the attack, the one with the rocket launchers was less fortunate - the electricity surged through its rockets, heating them up to the point where they exploded within the launcher, rendering it both deformed and useless. Meanwhile, Elise blew aside the incoming wave of melee soldiers before pressurizing the air in front of her, forming a nearly solid mass. Launching the condensed bolt, it struck the tank with the laser hard enough to punch a hole straight through its weapon. It immediately started backing up - that shot had either ruined its laser's calibration, or outright disabled it.

The railgun tank let loose another barrage from its anti-personnel cannons while charging another volley. In the meantime, the walker behind it swung its cannon towards the royal retainers' group and charged another blast of plasma. With a shout, Elise summoned a blast of wind that blew away all her teammates before the cannon fired, saving them from being vaporized like their cohorts before them.

Having just cleared the enemies they had been dealing with, Lucian elite knights swept in from the sides, leaping at the mech and tearing into its leg joints. Before long, the walker collapsed from a lack of support. From there, a series of wind slashes from Elise severed its articulated cannon, while Ivan took out its anti-personnel cannons. While it was taking them a while to break into its armored cockpit, the walker itself was dead in the water.

The railgun tank started retreating, only for Ivan to give chase. However, he faltered at the sight of several streaks of purple light launching from behind the tank. Leaping back as the streaks crashed into the ground in front of the tank, he grit his teeth once he saw who they were - three of the Barons of Lightning, their mechanical armor pulsing with violet electricity. They had energetic, hard-light weapons clutched in their hands - a katana, a sword and shield, and a double-sided staff - and from behind their glowing purple visors, Ivan could practically feel their baleful gaze boring into him.

The one with the sword and shield made a sweeping motion with their weapon. "Fall back. We will handle this."

"Troops, you fall back too." Elise muttered. It was clear that the Staticans considered them a threat, if they were willing to send _three_ of their Barons after them. While Ivan and Elise _might_ stand a chance in that fight, the others would likely get killed instantly. They needed to prevent any unnecessary death.

As their troops dispersed, the shielded Baron raised his sword at the elite knights before him. "We are giving you this chance to surrender. You won't be harmed."

Ivan's blade started crackling as his ice-blue eyes started to glow within his helmet. "Show a little more concern for your own lives."

The Barons readied for battle as the shielded one laughed. "Admirable confidence. It's justified - you are Lucian elites, after all. Let's see if you can match that confidence with your skills."

The Baron to his left lunged, their glowing katana raised. The lunge would have been too fast for most soldiers to see, but Ivan managed to block the strike and throw the Baron off of him. Meanwhile, the staff-wielder leapt into the air and used jets within their armor to propel themselves at Elise. The wind knight responded by raising her sword and projecting a super-condensed barrier of air, slowing the attack enough for her to dodge out of the way.

The Baron facing Ivan let loose, striking with a tempestuous barrage of unparalleled ferocity. Despite the incredible speed of the attack, it was painfully obvious that every slash was well-placed - a testament to the talents of these elite warriors. Ivan had clashed with the Barons of Lightning before, but it didn't get any easier - he was still dodging and parrying for his life.

As their blades clashed and strained against each other, the Baron's glowing sword crackled and released a massive discharge of lightning. Normally, this would have instantly killed most soldiers, but Ivan wasn't even fazed - his magical affinity made him all but immune to electrical attacks. Experimentally, he also tried it, releasing a huge surge of lightning along his sword and into the Baron's body. As he expected, their high-tech armor dispersed it effortlessly.

_It seems we're at an impasse._

Meanwhile, Elise didn't have that kind of lightning resistance. The Baron she was fighting spun their staff menacingly and searched for an opening, while Elise maintained a defensive shield to ward off the shocks. When they attacked, the wind knight ducked out of the way, using bursts of wind to avoid their strikes rather than meeting them.

Noticing some wreckage nearby, Elise stirred up a concentrated gale. Countless pieces of shrapnel lifted into the air, before Elise sent them hurtling at her foe with supersonic air jets. The Baron nimbly batted them aside with their staff, but Elise didn't let up the barrage. Surrounded by a whirling storm of metal shrapnel, she advanced on the Baron, who defended themselves with cracking bursts of electrifying power. Hefting a bigger chunk into the air, Elise sent it shooting at her enemy at a terrifying speed.

The Baron raised their staff and struck the metal projectile with a lethal charged blow, instantly blasting it into several pieces of molten slag. However, by then, Elise had closed the distance between them, manifesting blades of razor wind that converged on the mechanical warrior. They struck the Baron before they could block, the cutters slicing into their armor and spalling off small bits of the dark metal plating. Growling, the Baron lunged at Elise and swung, to which Elise responded by putting up a barrier and engaging her foe in furious melee combat.

The mechanical knight with the sword and shield, who had previously been looking for a chance to go in, suddenly started moving. Raising his hand, he threw out a myriad of small metal balls, before releasing a pulse of electrical energy that seemed to freeze all of them in time around them. Raising his sword, he began advancing, as all the metal balls started sparking and forming streams that swirled around him.

Ivan had just swatted aside the Baron he was fighting when a stream of electrified metal beads shot at him, forcing him to leap aside. As the stream turned around and soared towards him again, he raised his sword and released a beam of concentrated energy, melting it into slag - only for another to approach him from the side. Ivan turned it away with a swing of his sword, but by then the second Baron was bearing down on him. He barely managed to block his first strike before stabbing back, the mechanical knight blocking the attack with his glowing shield.

The first Baron recovered, pointing his sword at Ivan. The thunder knight barely had time to raise a barrier before a piercing ray of light shot from the katana's tip, nearly shattering his barrier outright. The katana-wielding Baron lunged with lightning speed, but Ivan still managed to parry the hit. However, his cohort immediately joined the fray, using heavy strikes to keep Ivan on his toes.

_Damn it. Two on one? Really?_

Elise noticed Ivan struggling and moved in to help, but the staff-wielding Baron was attacking too furiously for her to lose focus. Calling on the wind to aid her, Elise let loose a swirling gale that assisted her counterattack - the winds strong enough to knock back even a heavily armored warrior like the one she was fighting. As the Baron faltered, Elise raised her sword and struck them directly with a series of magically-charged blows, tearing through the shielding of their armor and piercing into the armor itself. Her opening was short-lived, as the Baron recovered fast and was back on the offensive with a flurry of electrified staff strikes.

Out of the corner of her eye, however, Elise spotted a glint of violet. Not taking any chances, she condensed her magic barrier in that direction - and sure enough, microseconds later, a nigh-instantaneous purple bolt smashed into it, instantly cracking the barrier. Elise gasped and reformed it, leaping aside and rapidly surveying the area. She released her magic, grasping at all the air flows around her. It was an experimental technique, but this way, she could tell where she was being attacked from, and how.

Another shot, another broken shield. That second shot had confirmed her suspicions - there was a fourth enemy nearby. She couldn't see anything, but the sudden air burst had originated from one area - perhaps a stealth unit? But that sniper round had packed much more power than the snipers she was used to - it was almost surely another Baron of Lightning.

_There are four of them? Crap, this isn't good!_

Elise knocked aside the Baron she was fighting with a compressed air burst, before charging her barrier and barely blocking the next sniper round. However, it was taking a great deal of focus just to block the sniper shots, much less fight a highly mobile melee fighter at the same time. Meanwhile, Ivan was starting to take direct hits to his shield - the combination of melee strikes, ranged thunderbolts, and streams of magnetically-controlled metal bits from the two Barons attacking from all directions.

_This isn't going well…_

However, reinforcements arrived at just the right time - in the form of none other than Gustav and Aika themselves. They had finally seared through all the troops sent to take out their squad, and were ready to fight once more. 

Gustav manifested a magical tower shield and leapt in front of Elise, blocking the next sniper round. "You look like you're having trouble."

"Sorry, your highness."

"No need to apologize." Aika grunted, raising her sword. As divine brilliance exploded from its edge, she sent a dazzling burst of blindingly bright light bolts towards the Barons Ivan was fighting, forcing the shield-bearer to block the hits. "I can't believe they sent four Barons after you. Must've really wanted you dead." 

Armor pulsing with veins of raw magical power, the Lucian rulers leapt into battle alongside their elite knights. In response, the Barons fearlessly charged to meet the attack, the two pairs combining and fighting as one force. Their coordination was unparalleled, and their power immense - but now, Gustav and Aika had leveled the playing field.

Despite the borderline holy radiance blazing from their weapons and armor, Gustav and Aika fought like demons. The Lucian king swung his blade in wide arcs, striking with a force like an explosive sun, while his massive energy shield turned away all but the strongest of the Barons' strikes. Meanwhile, Aika held her sword up high, letting loose rays of ruinous light that blasted soil into glass and punched holes in the Barons' shields. Their legendary equipment gave them unparalleled power - a balance of overwhelming strength and adamantine durability.

For a moment, the Barons' unstoppable assault faltered. Ivan and Elise capitalized on their chance, conjuring a magical storm to further push them back. They fought with blazing speed and power, yet they were only able to hold a stalemate at most.

Then, disaster struck in the form of yet another streak of light soaring through the air. Gustav and Aika were about to strike a decisive blow when the comet landed in front of them, creating a shock wave that forced them to brace themselves.

Once the dust cleared, everyone in the area paled at the sight of the figure that had appeared before them. Like the Barons of Lighting, they were a mechanical warrior with polished, jet-black metallic armor, complete with a glowing blue, vaguely T-shaped visor that obscured their face. However, at roughly two meters tall, they were taller than said Barons - not to mention that their heavy armor somehow seemed sleeker, more refined, and almost alien, with ripples of blue light constantly pulsating across its surface and similar blue light shining from between its armored plates. Strapped to the warrior's back, two weapons pulsed a faint blue - a heavy rifle, and an electrified glaive.

The raw power emanating from this warrior was unmistakable - a borderline tangible pressure that threatened to crush the Lucians he faced. There was no doubt about the trouble that they had gotten themselves into.

The Lord of Lightning had arrived.

For about three seconds, everyone in a twenty-meter radius was silent. Then, the Statican emperor cleared his throat and spoke.

"Well met, Lucian royals. I'm sure you know who I am. Well, you've done a disturbingly good job at handling my Barons, so I suppose 'ill met' would be more appropriate."

 _Wait for my signal. We need to do this carefully._ Gustav telepathically commanded his cohorts, before facing his foe. "Fulgurus. Finally showed your face, didn't you? Could've made our lives so much easier if you hadn't shown up here."

Fulgurus' visor obscured his entire face, but his glare was still almost palpable. "Your reign is coming to a close. I will topple your leadership, and add your realm to our glorious empire. All those kingdoms you wage war against...all those citizens you so cruelly oppress...all of them will be safe under my rule. I can offer you that much."

"Like we'd let the likes of you take over." Aika growled, placing a hand on her sword's hilt. "This country belongs to us. It has always been Lucian, and always will be Lucian. Your empire does not belong here - we alone deserve to stand atop the world."

"And who decided that? Lucians." Fulgurus replied curtly. "Those who mercilessly crush opposition are one thing, but rulers who trample their own citizens must not be allowed to rule any further. As inclined as I am to crush you right here, I must adhere to my own rules. So, I will give you this chance to surrender. You won't be harmed."

"...And let some upstart like you seize our kingdom?" Aika spat. "Never!"

"Look around you, queen of Lucia." Fulgurus sighed, pointing around at the carnage unfolding around them. Despite the chaos, it was clear that the Staticans had seized the upper hand, and were pushing the Lucians back - the arrival of the Lord of Lightning had seemingly caused their morale and willpower to skyrocket. The Lucian elites could easily take down even Statican war machines, but there had been _far_ more Barons of Lightning active than they had anticipated, and the super-soldiers had launched a series of airborne stealth strikes to cripple the Lucian elites, leaving only the regular soldiers fighting. "Your forces are weakened, scattered. Our army is stronger, faster, more diligent than yours - and we fight with just as much dedication to our homeland as you do, if not more. You have already lost this battle - our forces will flatten the earth, along with anyone that stands in our way. Surrender now, and I will call off the attack. Even as we assimilate Lucia, you will be spared - if your own people don't lynch you on the spot, that is."

"That means nothing." Gustav muttered. "Our ancestors claimed this land. Fought for it, generation after generation. They taught their descendants everything - entrusted their values and dreams to us. It is our duty to soar above all others - and surrendering to you would be shirking that duty. You can take as many lives as you want - we will not yield to you."

Fulgurus took a deep breath, then exhaled. "I see. Barons, attend me."

As his elite soldiers formed two groups, Fulgurus drew his glaive, its energetic blue blade blazing with blue lightning as if it had a whole thunderstorm trapped within. As the Lucians prepared for battle, an electrifying pressure spread over the battlefield, one that made the Lucian elites feel like their armor was about to dissolve. "Barons, split up and flank them. Play it safe - you've already fought for a bit, and these elites can easily take you down if you're not careful. But don't worry. I'll try to make this fast."

And in a flash of lightning, he was upon them.

Gustav barely blocked Fulgurus' first blow with his shield, although the impact alone was enough to send a nearby Elise tumbling. Ivan and Aika moved in on either side of him, raising shields and preparing magic-infused strikes. In response, Fulgurus dashed to Ivan almost faster than he could react, striking with an upward stroke of his glaive that sent the thunder knight flying. Aika fired a searing ray, but Fulgurus somehow _parried_ the beam with his glaive before leaping at her.

Aika managed to block the emperor's attack, but it was quickly becoming clear that the reports of Fulgurus' exploits weren't exaggerations. If Aika hadn't been a lifelong trained warrior with legendary equipment, Fulgurus' lightning-quick barrage of strikes would have overwhelmed her in the first second of combat. Even now, Aika was having trouble - even armed with both a sword and shield, blocking Fulgurus' attacks was like trying to weather a hurricane, but arguably harder. At least hurricanes didn't _actively_ try to kill you.

With a thrust of his glaive, Fulgurus sent Aika skidding backwards. Raising his weapon to the air, he struck her with a fierce bolt of lightning, one so powerful that it nearly depleted Aika's layered magical barrier in one hit. Aika retaliated with her own burst of prismatic light, which struck Fulgurus head-on, visually damaging the thin yet sturdy energy barrier enveloping his armor. Growling, the Lord of Lightning activated small jets within his armor, leapt up, and struck with a flying slam that created a huge electrical shockwave.

The burst of energy knocked Aika aside, just as Ivan and Elise ran in to fight again. Empowering himself, Ivan lunged at the emperor and locked blades with him, while Elise sent several razorblades of wind hurtling towards him. The blades dug into his shielding, but not before he tried to discharge lightning from his spear and shock Ivan. However, the thunder knight shrugged it off.

Fulgurus grunted, the light shining from within his armor intensifying. With a shout, he let loose a surge of electricity that snaked around Ivan, instantly sending the temperature skyrocketing. While Ivan's magic affinity gave him borderline electric immunity, he was not immune to being heated up to temperatures hot enough to melt metal - and his proper magical shielding could only last for so long against this level of power. Yelping, he was forced to pull out of the blade lock before Fulgurus cooked him inside his own armor - the metal was already starting to sizzle and deform.

Elise slung gales of wind at the mechanical warrior, trying to stagger him as she dashed in. Fulgurus shrugged off the wind, meeting Elise's attack head-on. Wielding his glaive with deadly speed and precision, he parried Elise's lightning-fast barrage of empowered strikes before kicking out at her. The wind knight blocked the strike with a condensed cushion of air, before taking advantage of his unbalanced position to blast his remaining leg with wind. Staggered, Fulgurus was left vulnerable as Elise dashed behind him and stabbed him in the shoulder - while it didn't break his shield, it sent him tumbling face-first into the dirt with a huge crash.

Noticing their chance, Aika raised her sword into the air, conjuring countless lances of radiant energy that converged on the fallen emperor, enveloping him in prismatic explosions. Gustav stabbed his sword into the ground, manifesting tendrils of light to dig into Fulgurus' armor plates in an attempt to pull his suit apart. Meanwhile, Elise prepared a miniature tornado to drill him into the ground, while Ivan charged his blade and leapt at their enemy.

He expected his sword to bite into metal plates, or even an energy shield - but he found his momentum completely cancelled. As the dust cleared, he gasped as he realized that Fulgurus had dropped his glaive and _caught his sword with his hands._ His shield looked all but downed, but he had somehow blocked the attack without it.

Ivan barely had time to react before Fulgurus slammed the sword into the ground and struck Ivan with a lightning-fast punch that sent him hurtling into the air. Activating jets on his back as well as his magical powers, Fulgurus grabbed his glaive and tried to take to the air, only for Gustav's bindings to hold him back. Growling, Fulgurus hefted his weapon and threw it with deadly precision - spearing Ivan in the shoulder, the strike instantly piercing both Ivan's shield and his armor. As the crippled Lucian knight fell to the ground in a heap, Elise screamed and hurled the tornado down at him, driving him into the dirt again.

Gustav raised his sword and struck the downed emperor again, the blow driving a deep gash into his now-unshielded armor. However, during that time, Fulgurus had grabbed the magic chains that bound him, tearing them apart with his brute strength. Now free, the Lord of Lightning charged his fists with energy and struck Gustav with a melee barrage of unparalleled speed, his strikes' momentum supplemented by the miniature jets within his armor. Despite the Lucian king's immense power, Fulgurus was holding his own despite being unarmed, his bare-handed strikes hitting with as much force as Statican artillery.

Gustav was still managing to hold his own, and Aika prepared yet another burst of searing light. Fulgurus noticed this, manifesting a lance of lightning and hurling it at the Lucian queen hard enough to stagger her. Elise tried to resume the attack with a concentrated stream of slicing wind, but Fulgurus ducked out of the way before hurling another thunderbolt at her - this one instantly shattering her shield.

Gustav leveled his sword and stabbed at the emperor's mask, but the armored warrior managed to block the strike with his palm - the blade cracking the armor of his gauntlets, but still not pushing through. However, Gustav raised his shield and slammed Fulgurus in the face with it, before retrieving his sword and cutting into his waist.

The Lord of Lighting roared, letting loose with a surge of lightning. As Gustav staggered, Fulgurus grabbed his sword and struck it with a brutal hand chop - only to find that even he couldn't break such a heavily enchanted weapon so easily. Gustav took the chance and bashed him in the face with his shield again, but this time Fulgurus refused to stagger, shoving the shield aside with his free hand and headbutting Gustav hard enough to stun him.

With another cataclysmic blast of lightning, Fulgurus threw the Lucian king off of him. As his armor pulsed in an almost rhythmic fashion, all the gashes they had inflicted on him somehow closed themselves, leaving his suit as good as new.

"Damn you…" Gustav groaned.

Fulurus didn't say anything else as he raised his hand, his javelin soaring back into his grasp. Raising his weapon high into the air, the air around them began to grow heavy as electrical arcs danced through the sky. Within seconds, a storm of plasma had gathered around him - a maelstrom of raw power that soon began discharging shattering bolts of lightning.

Gustav and Aika raised their shields as a wounded Ivan got the hell out of dodge. Elise had to re-establish her barrier, but gamely tried to use her wind magic to disrupt the storm. Given her shattered concentration and weakened body, the lances did little but annoy the Lord of Lightning as he lunged at her, swinging his glaive twice. The first arcing strike knocked her sword aside, and she was forced to block the second with her arms - the blade shattering her barrier, slicing through her armor, and cutting her arms nearly to the bone, the energized blade instantly cauterizing the wound.

Fulgurus threw the wounded Elise aside before turning towards the Lucian rulers, pointing his glaive at them as the miniature storm above him lashed out with tendrils of roiling plasma. Their shields could block the hits, but the lightning seemed to strike from everywhere - punching dents into their barriers and scorching the land around them. There was a booming clap as Fulgurus lunged at them again, knocking Aika off balance before striking her head-on with a thunder spear. As the queen staggered and the king moved in to assist her, Fulgurus sparred with him for a bit before calling down a consecutive lightning barrage on top of him, stunning him long enough to shatter his barrier with a well-placed stab before knocking him over with the handle of his glaive.

"You put up a good fight, but your reign ends here!" the Lord of Lightning said calmly, raising his crackling spear and holding its point in front of Gustav's throat. "I lied earlier. I'll give you one last chance to surrender. If you refuse, I will kill you where you stand."

For a moment, Gustav faltered. Even with his immense pride backing him up, his mind considered the offer for an instant. He had never been in such a life-threatening situation before.

However, an injured Elise intervened. Having recovered her sword, she summoned all the ambient magic her body could hold, before expelling it all in the form of a colossal tornado. Fulgurus instinctively raised his glaive to defend himself, but the gale hadn't been an attack - it had been strong enough to blow Elise and the Lucian rulers away, while staggering Fulgurus. Having noticed their leaders losing the fight, some of the Lucian soldiers had been on standby - and now that they had an opening, they swept in, gathered up the wounded elites, and fled.

Fulgurus shook off the storm and growled, raising his glaive and charging it with lightning. However, their retreat had been swift, with magi-tech war machines and reinforcements from Aether immediately moving in to plug the gap. Fulgurus could maybe take them out, but it would be a risk for a small reward. So, while he and his Barons attacked the retreating Lucians from range, striking down some of the basic soldiers, they didn't give chase.

He could let them live for a little longer. If everything went smoothly, the kingdom would be his regardless.

About two hours later, all of the Lucians on the battlefield had been driven out, captured, or killed outright. It had been an overwhelming victory for the Statican Empire, but they weren't out of the woods yet.

Quickly shifting their mobile battlestations and even a small mobile city into the opening they had created, the Staticans quickly established total control over the area. While they encountered many settlements, Fulgurus made sure to leave them be - or if they were suffering, even help them. Many of the Lucians were understandably annoyed at being invaded like this, but there were a surprising amount of Lucians that seemed almost happy.

However, the summit village of Stonewell was of special interest to them. If they managed to get enough artillery moved atop that mountain quickly, they'd have a vantage point to rain hell on the grand fortifications of Zenith. Right now, Fulgurus' main concern with that was the civilian casualties that would inevitably cause, hence why he was saving it as a last resort. Even if they didn't bomb out all of Zenith, such a good vantage point would allow their troops to shoot down any approaching Lucian forces.

"Our forces from the north were routed." a Baron of Lightning reported to his lord, who was currently resting inside of a large Statican tent. "The princess of Lucia was leading a group there, and we were holding our own until she sprung an ambush on us. I never would have believed that she was concealing an entire platoon of soldiers in the sky - the power of a Celestial vessel is truly terrifying. But we've dealt a severe blow to their defensive line right now. Lucian forces are congregating around Zenith in a final defense, so our forces to the east and north have managed to push in as well. We've spread out some of this battalion to the west side of Zenith - maybe two mobile battlestations and a small air fleet. Once we've set up our offensive line, we'll converge on them and crush them. However, princess Kagura is likely heading our way now..."

"Headed our way…" Fulgurus repeated, metallic fingers stroking the helmet laid on the table in front of him as he gazed into the campfire they had set up. With his armor off, Fulgurus looked alarmingly similar to when he had it on - with much of his body, including most of his lower half, being composed of mechanical parts. The few organic parts of his body had lost much of their senses, anyways - his mechanical parts and armor compensated for all the shortcomings of a body ravaged by a disastrous accident and countless years of battle.

"You seem unwell." the Baron asked. "You sure you don't want to put on your suit again? I understand that you're very used to it..."

"A brief respite from that metal shell is always welcome." was the disgruntled reply. His suit seamlessly integrated with his body's cybernetic parts, making life more convenient and far more comfortable - at this point, it was basically an extension of his body. While he _did_ feel more secure with it, moments like these were when he affirmed that he was a human, not a machine made to destroy enemies - in spite of all his mechanical prosthetics. "Well, anyways. Kagura is definitely coming here for a final battle, so we must be vigilant. She is the strongest fighter in all of Lucia - even the king and queen pale to her might. I'm honestly not sure if I can take her - her combat prowess at least matches mine."

"We can help you." his cohort offered. "We were trained for this."

Fulgurus shook his head. "It can't hurt to try, but I want you to stay safe. I'm blessed with the greatest empire in Lurie, the greatest army in Lurie, and the greatest personal guard anyone could wish for. Yet for all of that power…I have a growing dread that I may be the only one with a winning chance against that princess. No offense to your prowess, but if I attacked her with all of you, she would likely slaughter everyone to get to me with no contest. I don't want to throw your lives away that foolishly."

"Don't worry, we understand." the Baron consoled him. "We'll still try to help you, but we'll heed your request as well. It's no surprise that she's on a different level from anyone, even us - she is a host for a god beyond our comprehension, after all. But I still have faith in you. You're our kind and esteemed emperor, the infallible Lord of Lightning who has never tasted defeat. And for all her power, Kagura is still but a child...actually, is she? She certainly doesn't act like one."

"...Don't remind me." Fulgurus sighed. "I still can't believe the nerve of those Lucians. What kind of people would let their child daughter take on such a huge power for the sake of conquest? It's clear that she's losing herself to that power - those smaller countries told us about a time when Kagura fought with pacifism in mind, determined to spare everyone. Now, she acts like some kind of machine, killing and destroying at the orders of the Lucian royals. It's despicable...the child in her is probably dead by now. Didn't she have people she loved, or people who loved her? How could they stand to see the princess corrupted like this?"

"I can't believe she's only fifteen." another Baron said as she entered the tent, sitting down heavily and dropping her sniper rifle behind her. "When I was fifteen, I...don't even remember what I was doing. Probably studying or playing - certainly not fighting. They wouldn't even let me into the military, much less _make_ me fight for them."

"Perhaps we could spare her." Fulgurus mused. "She'd probably fight until every last drop of blood in her body has been spilled. But if we were somehow able to talk her out of it...maybe she could live again."

"Your compassion is one of the things all Staticans strive to match, but we may not have a chance for that." the first Baron pointed out. "She has a track record of listening to reason, but she'll still kill us all if we're not careful."

Fulgurus turned his helmet around, inadvertently staring at his reflection in the inactive visor. There were many times when those dark purple eyes were full of charm and energy, but in this moment, all he saw in his own eyes was fatigue. "I know. I'll try what I can, but in the end, I may have to strike her down. That will be a difficult task...and not just for the heart. She is incredibly strong...what have our tacticians deduced from the recorded footage?"

The first Baron put down his shield, picked up a tablet, and pressed a few buttons, before frowning. "Not much. Kagura was already a holistic mage to begin with, but her Celestial power has pumped all her magic to insane levels. In terms of physical ability, she's basically a superhuman thanks to said magic inundating her body. In terms of magic, well...she seems to be able to accomplish nearly anything her mind desires."

"So...not good." Fulgurus sighed. "This'll be a pain. Any other weaknesses?"

"Well...one of my buddies has a lead. Got it from Stonewell citizens and captured Lucian soldiers, apparently." the second Baron piped up. "They say that in Stonewell, there's a little girl that everyone seems to hate. They asked around, and she's supposedly Kagura's closest friend, and the first one she made - before allying with Aether, it'd make sense that she'd be lonely, given how deep class segregation runs in this damn place. Their friendship was frowned upon by the royals, but they persisted - and at some point, the king and queen approved of it. The vitriol towards their bond never got better, but said bond remained strong-"

"I'm not taking her hostage."

"Nobody said that." the Baron replied quickly. To the ethics-valuing Staticans, something like that would only ever be a brief consideration at most. "Basically, she's a friend of Kagura - possibly her closest companion. She might know things about her..."

The shield-bearing Baron scoffed a little. "Maybe she knows things about her. Like, her favorite food? What would she know that would help us beat her in combat?"

"...I didn't say that. Honestly, I don't know if we could even get anything of value out of her. My point is, as Kagura's closest friend, she still might be worth talking to for a bit. This whole place is under lock and key, so there should be no danger. It'd take a few minutes at most. But I'm telling you, she's somehow suspicious...the way everyone seems to despise her seems slightly odd - it's more than just jealousy. Even our soldiers that saw her recall being filled with a sense of vitriol when approaching her."

Fulgurus was silent. Then, he stood up. "I want to talk with her. Where is she?"

Carefully, the Lord of Lightning rustled through the thick foliage. Apparently this girl, named Kagami, often took residence within a small section of the forest bordering Stonewell, probably to avoid the animosity from her fellow villagers. Now, Fulgurus was hoping to find her here and talk with her for a bit, in hopes that he could get anything useful out of it. He had even gone so far as to abandon his armor for this - this girl wouldn't talk to him if she was scared out of her wits. His array of prosthetics might scare her anyways, but there was only so much he could do.

As he stepped into a clearing, there was a rustling from in front of him. Rummaging in what seemed like a berry bush, a small figure whipped around, staring at him with a bright smile. "K-Kagura? Is that you..."

She trailed off as her smile almost instantly melted, replaced by a look of forlorn sadness. As she stood up, Fulgurus eyed her suspiciously. She matched the description he had been given - a small, frail girl with short blonde hair and strikingly blue eyes, dressed in a simple brown tunic and black leggings.

"Why are you here?" Kagami asked bluntly, not showing fear of the towering cyborg. "Nobody bothers coming here."

"You _will_ show more respect to me, girl." Fulgurus snapped, before nearly biting his tongue. Just as his troops had said, as soon as he had locked eyes with her he had indeed been struck with a strange feeling of hostility. It was already straining his strong morals to avoid being even harsher to her - he felt like he wanted to just pretend the meeting had never happened and abandon her.

"What have you done, girl?" the emperor hissed. "You do indeed fill me with a sense of anger just by existing. Something's up. Explain yourself!"

"...I'm cursed by a dark god." Kagami said, as it was obvious. "Now all people that see me will hate me on sight. You're no different from them. Only one person is."

That was a surprise to Fulgurus - most people would have a hard time saying such an outlandish thing so bluntly. He _could_ detect a faint aura of magic emanating from the girl, so he decided to probe further. "Is that so?"

"If you don't believe me, I understand." Kagami replied, walking away and washing her hands in the river. "But I don't care."

"No, I'm just curious." Fulgurus sighed. "Go on. Tell me more."

"You...believe me?" Kagami asked incredulously. "You're an anomaly, lord Fulgurus. I guess that I've heard the Statican Empire has strong ethical values. Are all Staticans like this?"

"So you _do_ know me."

Kagami sighed. "Hard not to when your name is all over the news. You've done a real _fantastic_ job of smashing up Lucia. You really want to conquer this place, huh?"

"...Does that make you angry?"

"Not really." Kagami replied instantly, shocking Fulgurus. "Lucia is the place that I live, but that's pretty much all it means to me. This place has a whole lot of problems deeply rooted in its society. Pretty sure you'd do a better job at leading this kingdom than those royals up there. And no matter what, I'll always be hated by everyone, so it doesn't really matter who runs the place - it just changes the living conditions for me, I guess. The one person that cares for me hasn't been seen here in a year, either."

"Kagura. Am I right?"

A nod from the girl.

Fulgurus nodded back. "Well, I'm here to ask about her. Apparently you were the one that was closest to her, right?"

"Before you ask, I don't know anything that would help you."

_Well, she's perceptive._

"I don't know all her powers, or how she fights." Kagami went on. "I'm not even sure if anything I know about her even applies anymore. From what I've been reading on the news, she's...changed. She's like a totally different person. And I'm a little scared that she's changed _too_ much...but I trust her. Kagura would never lose her entire personality to that Celestial power. Kagura would never forget me! Kagura would never...never in a million years..."

Kagami looked like she wanted to cry, and Fulgurus couldn't help but feel bad for her, curse be damned. "You seem awfully young to be handling things like this. How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

Fulgurus raised an eyebrow. "...You're really shrimpy for a fifteen-year-old. The princess is also fifteen."

"The curse also deteriorated my body." Kagami explained simply. "I've always been really small. Heh...Kagura was considered short, and she always wanted to be taller than someone her age, so I guess she got her wish with me. But she'd always still bring me food and such, insisting that I needed to grow more."

This was a side of the Lucian princess that Fulgurus had no idea existed - and it intrigued him, enough that he forced past the curse and resolved to listen to her. "Please, tell me more. You knew her...what was she like in the past?"

"...The nicest, gentlest, most awesome person in the entire world." Kagami mumbled dreamily, her eyes growing misty as if the memories were coalescing within those azure pools. "She was a shy girl, and really lonely. Being a princess meant she was some of the highest authority in an authority-heavy world, but her heart was still genuine and incredibly kind. Whenever we met, she'd always be looking out for me - despite her power and status, she had it in her to care for the common folk, even someone like me. Being with her made me realize what companionship was like, and it filled my heart with so much warmth. And for all that power and authority, she was a huge softie. It was really adorable."

"...A softie?"

Kagami nodded. "Her heart was really vulnerable. She was timid, lacked self-confidence, and was pretty gullible. If anything, I feel like she listened to me more than I listened to her...ironic for a princess, huh?"

"You...could give instructions to the princess?" Fulgurus asked in awe.

"Kind of. I guess you could put it that way." Kagami admitted. "Anyways, she trusted me with her life, and she trusted the royals - maybe a little too much." Kagami explained. "She bought all of that harsh training designed to shape her into an ideal ruler without hesitation, and she was quick to buy the idea that fighting for Lucia would be to protect her people. Then, when they pressured her into becoming a vessel to 'protect more people', I...might have accidentally nudged her down that path. It's a shame..."

 _So they did pressure her into all of this?_ Fulgurus mused. _It was as I suspected. It really is a shame...she seemed so innocent, before Lucia decided to use her._

Kagami stared into the sky. "But could you blame her for her nature? Nobody would befriend her at Zenith - they were too scared of her status. It took Lucia's alliance with Aether for her to make real friends, but before that she had no options. She wasn't allowed to see commoners, and even her retainers were ordered to keep their distance. But she disobeyed that...and we met. Kagura didn't care about my status - she saw me for who I really was. And I...well, I was so desperate that I didn't care about her status either, which she always said was a luxury for her. She was an amazing person, and the best friend I could have ever asked for...I never understood why nobody in Lucia could see that. Times when we were together were the only times I was praised, cared for, treated as a friend, or even a _person_...and also the only times I was able to give all of that back in return."

Fulgurus raised his hand. "Wait, that doesn't explain why she was able to befriend you. You were cursed, right?"

"Well, that's because it was supposed to be her curse. The queen got it after they raided a dark god's tribe, apparently, but it was passed on to Kagura instead. It was forced onto me at birth by the king and queen, but Kagura became immune to it as a result. Then we met, and she found out way later, and the rest is history."

"...What? They forced that curse onto an innocent newborn?"

Kagami gave him a weak smile. "I know. I've taken two curses for her, actually. If I can say something about my life that I'm proud of, it's that I've saved such a wonderful person twice."

 _Kagura's alive because of this girl?_ Fulgurus gawked internally. Part of him wanted to scorn her for indirectly causing him all this trouble, but he forcibly suppressed those hostile thoughts - that wasn't him thinking. "I...see. Kagura seems like a completely different person when you say it like this. Your memory's pretty good, to remember all of that. You seem awfully mature for a little kid."

Kagami sighed. "I would have died long ago if I wasn't. And how could I forget? All that happiness was so rare, so precious, that I would die if I didn't store every last bit of it. Every memory we made is precious - all the hardships and fun, all the times we ate together, played together, camped together...everything. They are my treasures. But right now, I'm just waiting for her return. Once she returns...I'll be able to be happy again."

Fulgurus sighed. This girl really was miserable, huh? However, above all, he had a mission to complete. "Well, I'm going to be fighting Kagura for the sake of our empire. If things don't go well, either I will die...or she will."

The small girl shook her head. "Kagura can't die. She promised me that she'd survive, and see the peaceful new world with me. You're very powerful, but Kagura wields the power of a Celestial. Kagura..."

It was clear she didn't want to finish that sentence. Kagura's death was a very real possibility, now that there was someone strong enough to match her. And while Kagami supported Fulgurus' ideals...would she place them above the life of her only friend?

The Lord of Lightning stood up. "Would you try to kill me now, if it meant saving the princess from a potential demise?"

Kagami laughed sarcastically. "You want me to fight you? Take a look at me, and a look at yourself. You could probably kill me with as little as a breath. And besides, by absorbing this kingdom into your empire, you're bringing a brighter future to Lucia - better than the one the royals offer us now. I support your cause - at least more than I support that of the Lucians. It's just that I...can't bear to see what it might cost."

"Then which is more worth it - Kagura, or Lucia's future? Who will you be rooting for when the battle begins?"

Kagami was silent.

"I'm not going to make you answer that. That would be too cruel." Fulgurus said, turning around to leave. "Girl, it's clear that you don't have any advantageous information about my enemy. But your recounts of her past have been...intriguing, to say the least. As a token of my appreciation...do you want me to say anything to her before I face her in battle?"

"...Yeah. Tell her that I...I miss her. I want to see her again."

Merely two days later, all-out war had once again erupted in the grassy plains between Stonewell and Zenith. The Statican Empire had surrounded Zenith and was now launching a fierce attack on all fronts, while all of Lucia's available forces had converged around Zenith for a final defense. The kingdom had a lot more reserve forces than the Staticans had anticipated, meaning that this would be a tough battle.

The main push came from the south of Zenith. Stonewell had effectively been converted into a massive artillery platform, delivering pinpoint strikes to anywhere their gunners could see. The Staticans had deployed a small mobile city to provide further support to their forces, as well. With their armada of war machines and elite soldiers, the Staticans started the battle strong, quickly seizing an advantage.

However, that all changed when the princess of Lucia arrived.

The first sign that something was wrong was when hordes of Lucian reinforcements started appearing out of thin air, breaking apart the Statican forces with a series of fierce ambushes. Not only did they have the element of surprise, these soldiers seemed far more trained and powerful than most of the troops. Then, Statican scouts reported a single person leading a squad straight into their lines, demolishing all the troops sent to kill them with overwhelming magical power.

When Fulgurus heard this, he had immediately set off for the location. It was unmistakable - Kagura was here.

Against his better judgement, he sent the same squad of Barons that had fought the Lucian royalty days before to monitor the area and make sure their temporary retreat went smoothly. He was taking a huge risk like this, but it would be wise not to underestimate the destructive power of a Celestial vessel.

By the time that four of the twelve currently-active Barons of Lightning had arrived, the place had already descended into chaos. Their retreat was going smoothly in terms of speed, but the constant flashes and multicolored explosions were a cause for concern. Leaping to the site of the explosions, they found themselves in what used to be a grassy plain, now turned into a burning clearing littered with broken machines and scattered corpses. And before them, they saw their enemy.

Facing down a damaged MLRS vehicle, a small figure burned with fiery light. They were a short, lithe individual clad from the neck down in platinum-and-blue plate armor, alongside a knee-length white skirt and an ethereal cape that looked as if it were made of the night sky. Clutched in their hands was a peculiar sword, with an intricate gold hilt and a blade that looked as if it were a fragment of the cosmos itself. Instead of a helmet, they just wore an object that resembled an armored circlet, which exposed a pale, youthful face framed by flowing silver hair - albeit slightly obscured by a translucent, helmet-like energy shell produced by the circlet. Her eyes glowered like molten gold as she raised her sword and took to the air, a halo of burning light forming around her.

The Statican tank let loose a volley of missiles, the ordnance swerving around and tracking the aerial princess. In a streak of silver light, she nimbly dodged all but one of the missiles - the last one struck her head-on, but she emerged no worse for wear. As the rockets turned around and shot back towards them, she repeatedly swung her sword with incredible speed, letting loose a shower of comets that instantly vaporized the ammunition. Turning back to her main target, which began to open fire with its anti-personnel guns while backing up, the knight blocked the bullets with her blade before lunging at lightning speed, shearing off all its weapons in a single stroke. Raising her blade to the heavens again, she swung, bringing down a surge of starry light that blasted the armored vehicle into several pieces. The drivers were nowhere to be found.

"Just like that...?" one of the Barons breathed, clutching their staff.

The Baron with the sniper rifle raised their weapon. "Damn, this is rough. We need to cover for our allies until Fulgurus gets here. Once our lord arrives...even the Lucian princess should fall!"

The remaining three Barons charged in to intercept the princess, as their sniper prepared to line up her shots. As the shield-wielding and katana-wielding Barons charged Kagura, the princess turned towards them, her eyes flashing gold as if to register the presence of new targets. Raising his shield, the shield-bearer used his weapon as a springboard for his ally, who charged their suit with electrical magic and shot themselves straight at the princess. In a flash of violet, he had covered several dozen meters in a second, slamming into Kagura - she parried the strike, but it hit her hard enough to send her tumbling back into the ground.

The katana-wielder recovered instantly and struck, their charged suit allowing them to launch an absurdly fast barrage of consecutive strikes. However, Kagura managed to parry the barrage almost perfectly, her cosmic blade flashing as she seemed to flicker between positions. The Baron of Lightning stepped back and blocked Kagura's retaliatory strike, the force nearly pushing him to his knees.

From behind the Lucian princess, the staff-wielder's weapon crackled as he thrusted at his foe. To his surprise, Kagura turned around and blocked the hit in a split second. The first Baron took advantage of this chance and slashed again, only for Kagura to raise her other hand and let loose an explosive flare that stopped him in his tracks. The blast hadn't even directly hit him, but his personal shield had already been taken down a few pegs.

The staff-wielder let loose with a series of spinning strikes, making the best use of his double-ended weapon to keep up a constant barrage of attacks. He even went as far as to skillfully manipulate the miniature jets in his armor to aid him - normally for flight, these jets now served to enhance his momentum and further empower his flowing attacks. For a moment, Kagura was on the defensive, forced to parry for her life as the armored warrior bore down on her. From behind her, the katana-wielder raised his blade and lashed out with a spear of lightning, while his remaining cohort lowered his shield and moved in to ram her.

Kagura blocked the next staff strike and leapt over the Baron. The staff-wielder ducked aside so his cohort's lightning blast struck her - although her barrier neutered it - before he attacked again. In response, Kagura parried the strike, pushed the staff to the side, and elbowed the Baron in the face to stun him, before raising her free hand and unleashing a bolt of explosive light that sent him flying. Leaping into the air, Kagura charged her blade with golden light and slammed back into the ground, scattering the two unshielded Barons.

_Damn it! We're already fast...but she's still faster!_

The one with the shield resisted the shock wave and leapt forward to strike, but Kagura batted aside his sword with her own before blasting him with another furious light blast. However, she was suddenly sent reeling by a high-velocity bullet that struck her in the head, pushing a dent into the shimmering barrier enveloping her. As Kagura turned towards the source, the concealed Statican sniper fired another shot, which she somehow blocked with her palm.

Sighing with displeasure, Kagura flew into the air and pointed her sword at the sky. As the air grew heavy with pressure, gold-and-silver light swirled around her and coalesced into a blazing halo above them. With a shout and a swing of her sword, the halo expanded, manifesting what looked like a cosmic aether within - which proceeded to rain down comets of bright blue light upon the clearing. The Barons were forced to dodge and block frantically as the explosive starstorm crashed upon them, blasting trees and rubble alike into impartial ash.

While the storm raged, Kagura leveled her sword and lunged at the Barons. Their shield-bearer blocked the first strike, but the shockwave was still enough to stagger the others - giving the princess a chance to attack again. With a sweeping slash that instantly cut down the surrounding foliage, she shattered the barriers of the stunned Barons and sent them flying. The one she had been fighting raised his sword and swung again, but Kagura batted the strike aside and headbutted him hard enough to slightly crack his barrier. When he tried to steady himself for another attack, Kagura drove her sword into his shield and discharged enough energy to blow it into several pieces. But the Baron was unfazed - he lunged at Kagura and stabbed her, the point of his blade blocked by a barrier mere centimeters from her armor.

The electrified sword strained and sparked as its owner tried to pierce Kagura's barrier, his raw strength enough to gradually start cracking it. The princess was having none of it - raising her free hand, she struck the sword hard enough to dislodge it, before lowering her sword and piercing through his torso in a single blow.

Crying out in rage at their comrade's injury, the other two melee Barons flanked her and attacked from two fronts, while their sniper stopped firing and started charging up a decisive blow. Throwing the wounded Baron aside like a sack of grain, Kagura engaged the other two simultaneously. Even with her inhuman speed and swordsmanship, she found herself unable to fully block every last strike from the two elite soldiers, but her barrier still held. Gritting her teeth, Kagura tried to disorient them with a series of nigh-instant dashes, but the Barons were able to predict her moves, the staff-wielder catching her out and driving the end of his weapon into her stomach, before unleashing a huge discharge of power.

To his surprise, a barely-fazed Kagura threw her weapon up and grabbed the staff with both hands. Then, with a yell, she swung him over her head, smashing him into the dirt hard enough to crater it. The katana-wielder lunged at her and slashed, but she caught her sword in midair and retaliated with a wide arcing strike that outright shattered the hard-light blade. He stared in shock as Kagura followed up with a second swing - he would have been bisected if he hadn't diverted his whole barrier to block the blow, and even then it shattered the frontal portion of his armor and sent him tumbling.

Suddenly, a colossal beam struck Kagura head-on, dispelling the prismatic light enveloping her. Staggering a bit from the strain, the Statican sniper raised their sizzling hands again, using their magic to induce magnetism and lift up the pieces of metal debris around her. The same magnetic powers that let the Barons wield their weapons with such acute precision were now being used to accelerate metal chunks at supersonic speeds, turning her into a living railgun.

The Baron of Lightning fired again. Kagura cut the bolt out of the air with a charged slash, before shooting straight at her like a rocket. Activating her boosters, the sniper shot backwards to escape - only to realize that a small squad of soldiers had moved in to support her, despite the rest of the troops retreating.

"What are you doing?" the Baron hissed. "Are you insane? You should have left!"

The soldiers didn't listen, opening fire with a barrage of gunfire. Kagura's barrier was broken, yet she was able to parry most of the shots - the few she missed struck her, some pinging off her armor while others pierced through its joints. Raising her blade, she moved faster than they could blink, going to town against the soldiers.

The power disparity became evident before Kagura even initiated combat - Kagura may have been winning against the Barons of Lightning, but they had at least been able to survive her attacks, and trade blows with her. For these soldiers with less training and weaker equipment, Kagura was someone that they could never hope to stand even with, much less defeat.

The princess struck faster than any of them could even react. The moment she practically blinked to the first soldier, she swung her sword and instantly cut them in half at the waist - shearing through their energy shield, armor, and body in one stroke. Before they could blink, she dashed between four more soldiers and cleaved them to pieces. Half of the remaining ones recklessly charged at her, scared out of their wits by the display of strength, while the other half fled for their lives.

Kagura hacked off another soldier's arms and impaled him, before grabbing the body and hurling it at his cohort hard enough to shatter their spine. Leaping into the air, she smashed another soldier into the dirt, the barrage of bullets coming from all directions deflecting off of the barrier she had put up - she had only been able to conjure a weakened variant after the Barons had shattered her first one, but it was still enough to block most of the attacks from the small fry. Whatever bits of damage that pierced her barrier and armor were healed rapidly by her magic.

The soldiers kept firing as Kagura tore through them like a tornado of flashing light and celestial wrath, practically flickering between positions and cutting down a soldier with each blink. As the terrified soldiers surrounded her in a desperate attempt to catch them out, she swung in an arc, instantly shredding the ones in front of her, before turning around and skewering the one that had tried to backstab her. Only a few more soldiers remained by them, and they had entered striking range - but they were too late. Kagura backhanded the first one hard enough to break his neck, before swinging her sword and utterly obliterating the others with a colossal stellar flare. Noticing the soldiers fleeing from her, she manifested dozens of explosive celestial spears and sent them showering upon her foes - instantly blasting them into dust.

Twenty seconds was all it had taken Kagura to wipe out a squad of Statican soldiers. Despite the brutal carnage she had inflicted, there was little to no blood - her weapon cauterized everything it cut through, and her magic left no identifiable remains.

Taking a shaky breath at the grisly display, the sniper fired another barrage of metal shrapnel as her cohorts tried their best to pull themselves together and hold off the Lucian princess - they had their own healing magic and regenerative armor, but they had still taken a huge beating. The staff-wielding Baron raised their weapon and started preparing a blast of lightning, as the other two threw out several devices which dispersed black sand over the battlefield. The staff-wielder gathered his remaining strength and leapt at Kagura from behind while she was distracted, scoring a solid blow to the head that slightly staggered the princess. Meanwhile, his cohorts let loose crackling waves and exerted magnetic control over the iron dust they had just spread, manifesting them into metal spines that streaked towards their foe.

As the spines shattered Kagura's barrier again, slashed at Kagura's armor, and pierced exposed joints, the staff-wielded swung his weapon around and tried to choke Kagura with it, before releasing another surge of electrical power in an attempt to fry his foe. The unshielded Kagura was clearly harmed by the attack - she uncharacteristically tensed in pain - but managed to slam her head into his to stun him, before flying into the air and slamming both of them into the ground. The Baron was dazed for a second too long - Kagura dropped her sword, grabbed his weapon, and blasted him aside with magic, before snapping the staff over her knee. Picking up her sword again, she slashed the iron-sand constructs out of the air, before regenerating all the damage just dealt to her in a flash of light.

Their sniper raised their rifle and fired again, but Kagura deflected the shot before hurling her sword at her - the blade both cutting the weapon into smoldering halves while severely damaging the Baron's personal energy shield. While the iron sand around her reformed into tendrils and struck again, Kagura chose to ignore them - only offering a small burst of force to deter them as she shot towards the sniper, the cosmic blade flying back to her hand in an instant.

Her rifle gone, the Baron of Lightning hefted all the scrap metal she could find and fired them as shotgun blasts of supersonic, practically melting metal. Kagura handily slashed each burst out of the air as she advanced, her expression devoid of compassion, hatred, or anything in between. By the time Kagura had gotten within twenty meters of her target, all of the shrapnel in the area had been used up.

The sniper, out of options, drew the small energy blade all Barons carried as a backup weapon, shakily raising it in a blocking position. In response, Kagura raised her sword, bracing herself for a winning strike.

The princess spoke for the first time since engaging in combat. "Come at me, one last time. Claim your last reward...an honorable death for an exemplary fighter."

There was nothing else to say. The Baron raised her weapon...and Kagura lunged in a flash of light. The cosmic blade in her hands pierced the Baron's knife and her body in a cacophony of melting metal, sparking electronics, and sizzling flesh, ending her life in an instant.

"No!" a voice roared from behind them. Kagura yanked her sword out of the Statican sniper's lifeless body and turned around as two more Barons approached - reinforcements, probably. One of them raised a heavy rifle and fired a barrage of micro-missiles, while the other lashed out with an electrified whip. "You will pay for this!"

Kagura knocked the whip away before vaporizing the rockets with a burst of light. From behind her, the two wounded Barons lashed out with bursts of metallic sand again, which she blasted apart with yet another wave of explosive force.

Even with their reinforcements, the Barons of Lightning were doubtful that they could win this battle. They had started four-on-one, and look how well that had gone.

"Stop!" a voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned to the source as another figure soared into view, rockets powering down as they landed. The moment they saw him, smiles crept over the Staticans' faces - the tides of battle had just been shifted once again. The Lucian princess' eyes widened a little as she held her sword in a guarding position, eying up the towering mechanical champion standing before her.

The Lord of Lightning was here, to meet the foe only he could defeat.

Fulgurus looked around, soaking in all the destruction around him. Then, he saw the fallen Baron in front of him. Nobody could tell, but his heart tightened at the sight - each and every one of those Barons was very dear to him. Personally train with an elite squad of soldiers for long enough, and they'd become like family in no time.

He stepped forward, and Kagura stepped back in caution. However, he merely knelt down, taking off the Baron's helmet. Looking at her lifeless face one last time, Fulgurus closed her eyes and picked up her body, handing it to the nearest Baron.

"Take her and run. Give her a soldier's burial. I've lost many valiant troops today, and now I've lost one of my greatest elites. I refuse to throw you into danger anymore - this is my fight now."

Under normal circumstances, they would have objected - but even they knew that the battle would likely turn out better if Fulgurus fought Kagura alone. Those two were on a completely different level - only their Lord of Lightning could hope to defeat a celestial demigod. It made sense that if they wanted to slay a goddess of war, they would have to use a war god of their own.

"Princess Kagura." Fulgurus began, staring down his much shorter enemy. "I see you've done a number to my Barons of Lightning. I knew I was in for it when I sent them to cover the retreat...why had I expected them _not_ to try and stall you? They're all stubborn fools...but men and women I'm proud of."

"Lord Fulgurus. Your reputation precedes you." Kagura replied sternly. "Your Barons were as well-trained as I heard they were. They were worthy opponents."

Fulgurus couldn't help but smile sadly, surprised that the princess was entertaining this conversation and not attacking him on sight. "You're not kidding anyone. If I hadn't shown up, you would have cut down all of them like a farmer cutting down wheat. I still can't believe that you exist...a vessel for a Celestial god."

"I could say the same for you. I gave up my humanity for this power...but you are still human. Yet through magic and technology, your power matches and surpasses that of the divine. I have seen more than a few supernatural entities in my travels...but just from watching you fight, I can tell that you're a step above most of them."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, princess." Fulgurus replied, mentally checking all of his armaments. "I'm here to take you down. If I can defeat you, Lucia will lose its greatest trump card, and with it their morale. Our forces will overwhelm yours, and your army will likely surrender."

Kagura nodded. "I know. That's also why I am here. I understand how vital your leadership is to your army. If I defeat you here, their morale and coordination will be crippled. Then, we will seize the advantage and defeat you. Lucia will be rid of your threat, and will continue to stand atop the world."

"Figured." Fulgurus growled. "I've got to admit, you have the right idea. I'm not sure if my army will be able to hold together after taking that kind of morale loss, especially considering _you're_ here now.."

"But for the first time in a while, I doubt my chances of victory." Kagura explained. "This will be an interesting battle for me."

"Took the words out of my mouth." the Statican emperor shot back. "But just for tradition's sake, I'll give you this chance to surrender."

"Request declined. This will end when I die, or you do."

Another sigh. "Fine. Have it that way. But if I end up killing you...I can at least promise that we'll spare your forces should you surrender. They'll live on, as part of our glorious empire. If you change your mind, you will too."

Kagura managed the faintest of smiles. "How kind. I suppose in return, I will promise you the same thing."

 _I guess she's got some honor after all…_ Fulgurus thought to himself. As Kagura raised her sword, and he drew his glaive in kind, he remembered something. "Ah, one moment. I just remembered that I had something important to say."

The princess frowned and planted her sword. "You are trying my patience, but go ahead."

"I have a message from Kagami of Stonewell. She asked me to deliver this to you...she misses you. She wants to see you again."

The effect was instant. Kagura faltered, blinking a few times as if confused. "Kagami…?"

Then it hit her. How could she have forgotten? A combination of the duties being drilled into her brain and the Celestial power guiding her actions had left her completely focused on battling and leading for Lucia, but she had been so focused on warfare that she had lost track of the past. That little glimmer of light, happiness, and _longing_ resurfaced and flooded her heart, reminding her of what - or more specifically, _who_ she had left behind.

"Kagami…" Kagura muttered as if in a daze. "I promised you...how could I dare to forget even for a moment? How could I have been so distracted as to leave you alone? I...miss you too...and I also want to see you again. I...can't imagine how lonely your life has been. Will you forgive me for leaving you behind? Will you forgive my foolishness, and laugh as you've always done? Can you...please grant my request?"

Fulgurus was shocked - the princess had completely changed in the last few seconds. This was more in line with what Kagami had told him about - it was more subdued than the recounts, but _this_ was a fragment of the past Kagura. "I had a talk with her before coming here-"

Kagura interrupted him angrily. "How is she doing? Is she okay? If you've hurt her, I will make sure not even ashes remain once I'm done with you!"

"She's fine, I assure you." the Lord of Lightning replied. "But she's really broken up without you, princess. Said that she could be happy again once you returned. Life with that crazy curse must be difficult, huh?"

To his surprise, a single tear ran down Kagura's face. "I must see her. I have to apologize, and make sure she's well and happy. That's the least I can do. I still owe her so much…and I...I want to see her smile again."

_A celestial demigod...can cry? An avatar of destruction can shed tears for one they care about? No...this isn't a celestial demigod right now. Standing before me is the gentle child that girl spoke of so reverently._

Fulgurus planted his glaive in the ground. "She's upset with the way the kingdom is. She gave me her faith - faith that I could make this place better than what it is right now. Yet when I asked her about who she'd root for, she wasn't sure. She was scared that you might die fighting Lucia's enemies - fighting me."

Kagura was silent.

"She wants you to survive." Fulgurus told her. "She told me that you had promised to look upon a peaceful new world with her - and she has faith in my ability to bring that world about. I'll try to spare you if the situation comes, but you said that you wouldn't stop fighting until you've died - and what would she say then? If you just surrender now, you'll continue to live - just as a part of a different empire. You don't have to risk breaking her heart if you die in this fight. You can be free of your burdens as Lucia's war machine. You can be happy, and live with your friend again."

For a moment, Kagura was conflicted. She seemed to genuinely be considering Fulgurus' offer. The Lord of Lightning held his breath.

Then, his heart sank as he saw Kagura's expression harden. Lifting her sword again, she pointed it at the Statican emperor. "I can't do that. I am the princess of Lucia, and its future ruler. As its future ruler, I have a duty to uphold its values - and as per Lucia's values, surrender is not an option. My duty comes before everything, even...even my dear friend. I must continue to lead, to protect our people, to ensure we are at the apex of Lurie. I will survive and fulfil my promise to Kagami...by striking you down here and now. The new world I promised her will be made by my own hands!"

Fulgurus sighed, hefting his glaive. "I guess it has to be this way then."

The air around them became supercharged as both warriors prepared for battle. Otherworldly aurora-like light danced around Kagura, while unfathomable electric arcs burst from Fulgurus' armor. Anyone nearby stopped fighting momentarily and stared in awe, waiting for the two demigods to begin their battle.

And then they lunged, the first impact seeming to shake the earth and cleave the heavens.

Explosions shattered the sky as the two flying warriors clashed, the force from their attacks annihilating the clouds and opening the way for leaking rays of sunlight. His glaive raised, Fulgurus soared above Kagura and struck her with a downward swing, the impact releasing a colossal shockwave as the princess blocked the hit with her cosmic sword.

Despite the incredible power, Kagura didn't falter. Swerving aside, she dashed at Fulgurus in a flash of light, only for the Lord of Lightning to repel her with a wide stroke. Raising his glaive again, Fulgurus created a huge orb of lightning and threw it at his foe, the crackling sphere splitting into a myriad of electrical comets. Kagura cut them out of the air with charged slashes, and shot out a lance of light that Fulgurus also cut apart.

Kagura dove to the side, building up momentum as she swung. Fulgurus ducked under her strike and dashed away, using his free hand to pull out the rifle he had strapped to his back. As armored plates on his shoulder guards slid open, he let loose a charged blast of plasma supplemented by a barrage of heat seeking micro-missiles. Taken somewhat by surprise, Kagura took the charged blast head-on, but recovered fast enough to dodge most of the missiles - when they swerved around to hit her again, she summoned a celestial flare that burned them to ashes.

The Statican emperor fired another series of shots, each blast briefly staggering the celestial demigod through raw power alone. While they weren't breaking through her barrier, the plasma bolts were holding her off long enough for Fulgurus to advance. However, after taking one too many shots, Kagura had enough - nimbly dodging the next three rounds, she dashed straight at Fulgurus, who raised his glaive in anticipation. As they locked weapons, Fulgurus pointed his gun directly at her head, but Kagura did an acrobatic flip kick in an attempt to knock it out of his hands. However, Fulgurus' grip on the weapon was too strong, and Kagura was forced to take a blast directly to the face, dealing heavy damage to her layered shielding. 

Unfortunately for Fulgurus, she immediately grabbed the weapon with her free hand afterwards. The two of them struggled in midair, each of them using one hand to hold off the other's weapon and another to play tug-of-war with Fulgurus' rifle. Grunting, Fulgurus manifested spears of lightning around him that fired at his foe, but Kagura blasted them away with another flare before maneuvering above the emperor and diving, launching both of them downwards hard enough to crater the earth. Kagura stabbed at the downed emperor's head, but Fulgurus dodged in time and kicked her off of him. In response, Kagura charged up and lunged with her blade - while Fulgurus blocked the first strike with his glaive, when he pointed his gun to take advantage of the opening, the weapon was cut in two by the swing that came right after. 

_So much for that._

Fulgurus leapt to his feet and let out an electrical pulse, shocking Kagura and forcing her away. To follow up, he raised his hand and manifested a javelin of lightning, while he simultaneously pointed his glaive into the air and started charging up a vortex of energy. As he hurled the bolt, Kagura batted it aside with her sword, the redirected electric surge instantly blasting a huge swath of the ground into sizzling glass. Looking back up, Kagura found herself facing a roiling sphere of plasma, which began lashing out with tendrils of searing energy. The princess tried to dash out of there and avoid the shocks, but Fulgurus whirled his glaive - causing the storm to spread out and engulf them in a vortex of fulminating power.

The Lord of Lightning leveled his glaive. "There is no escape!"

Fulgurus lunged at her in a flash of blue light, Kagura's extreme reflexes the only thing sparing her from the spearing strike that very nearly impaled her. The explosive force from the missed strike was still enough to blow away a nearby pile of scrap as Kagura leapt back and unleashed a ray of celestial radiance, striking Fulgurus head-on and blasting away at his shield. Twirling his glaive, Fulgurus let loose with a swift series of consecutive strikes that Kagura met flawlessly - the impacts from their weapons causing shock waves to ripple through the air. Above them, Fulgurus' plasma storm raged, turning solid matter into dust, and dust into atoms.

Kagura yelped as she was struck by several of the ambient storm's lightning bolts. Noticing this opening, Fulgurus leveled his glaive and lunged, while Kagura steeled herself and did the same. The two warriors struck each other in mid-flight, both of their magic barriers shattering from the collision.

The Lucian princess panted a little as she tried to absorb what little magical energy remained in the area. Fulgurus braced himself, machines built into his armor and body also doing their best to absorb ambient magic from the area. While both Fulgurus and Kagura could store insane amounts of magical power inside their bodies, creating another shield strong enough to withstand an attack from the other would take a great deal of power, and would quite frankly be a waste. The remainder of their battle would be fought with their superhuman durability alone.

Bracing herself, Kagura leapt at Fulgurus, plowing into him and sending them both hurtling across the battlefield at nigh-supersonic speeds. As they flew, both of them tried futilely to stab at each other or cast magic spells, but they were only able to break apart once they crashed into a small Lucian town many kilometers away.

The villagers screamed and panicked as the two demigod warriors plowed through food stands, buildings, and the very land itself before skidding to a stop. Fulgurus got to his feet quickly, only to find that his glaive had been lost in the collision. Kagura was a little slower to get up, but her weapon had also been sent flying by the impact.

The Lord of Lightning grit his teeth and surveyed the terrified civilians around him. While they were not his people yet, he still wanted to avoid any unnecessary civilian casualties - chances were that some of the townsfolk had already perished in their initial impact. Kagura seemed to have a similar idea, as she stood up and projected her voice using magic. "Civilians of this town. It is no longer safe for you to be here. Evacuate immediately in a fast and orderly fashion. Any civilians that remain in this area do so at their own peril."

Fulgurus raised his fists as Kagura promptly grabbed the nearest vacant carriage and threw it using her magically-enhanced strength. The Statican emperor responded by rearing back and punching it hard enough to practically vaporize the thing, only for Kagura to fly in through the shower of wreckage and score a solid punch to his helmet. Despite her thin frame, Kagura's magic gave her superhuman strength - the punch hit hard enough to send Fulgurus skidding backwards, the resulting shock wave shattering nearby windows and rattling the foundations of nearby buildings. However, for all of Kagura's strength, Fulgurus was able to match it - blocking the next series of unarmed strikes with his own, each clash creating a booming blast that reverberated through the air.

Kagura missed a swing, and Fulgurus immediately punched her hard enough to send her rocketing into the nearest tower, shattering its foundations and sending it toppling. The armored princess struggled to her feet as Fulgurus hit her again, nearly pounding her into the ground. However, as he prepared to strike a third time, Kagura used her magic to grab a huge chunk of the collapsing tower and slam it down onto him, practically burying him in the dirt. Raising his fists to defend himself, Fulgurus was unable to fully block the hit when Kagura kicked him, launching him across the town and through a bakery before he slammed into a clock tower. Charging through the rubble, Kagura grabbed him by the arm before uppercutting him, sending him flying into the sky, before leaping at him and punching him through the tower - the resulting shock wave pulverizing the entire top half of the structure.

The Lord of Lightning crashed into the ground and groaned, getting to his feet once again as the damage to his armor started regenerating. His armor could use a combination of nanotechnology and his magnetic magic to recover from damage, but it wouldn't be able to keep up forever, especially against an enemy packing this much firepower. He trusted that Kagura's magic would also let her regenerate quickly, so this would likely end as a battle of attrition - but considering the powers involved, it was impossible to tell for sure.

Seeing Kagura marching towards him, Fulgurus' armor pulsed with blue light as he started exerting waves of magical force. All around him, the surrounding rubble shifted as the metallic structural supports buried within lifted up and gathered around him in an iron storm. As the air became charged with overwhelming electrical power, Fulgurus imbued his makeshift weapons with his magic - electricity wreathing them and melting them to form sharpened edges. Seeing this, Kagura raised her hands in preparation for the attack, iridescent light dancing at her fingertips.

Fulgurus struck, sending the first wave of molten blades hurtling at Kagura as he took off sprinting towards her. In response, Kagura let loose a volley of blindingly bright spears that struck the shrapnel in midair and blasted them into slag. However, by that time, Fulgurus had closed the distance between them, surrounding Kagura with floating blades before striking her with another punch that sent her flying. Once she landed, Fulgurus raised several of the blades over her and tried to impale her - Kagura only barely dodging in time.

Out of the corner of his eye, Fulgurus spotted his glaive lying in the rubble a few dozen meters away. Unfortunately, it was lying next to Kagura's sword - and Kagura had spotted her fallen weapon as well. Leaping into the sky, she prepared to dive for her sword.

The Lord of Lightning let out a shout as his blades of metal scrap converged on Kagura and started slashing relentlessly. The princess let out pulses and rays of celestial energy to destroy them, but they were successfully keeping her at bay. Leaping to his weapon in a single bound, Fulgurus grabbed his weapon, charged it with lightning, and used it to channel a spear of lightning that shocked Kagura and sent her falling to the ground in a heap, parts of her armor superheated from the blast.

Surprisingly, Kagura paid no heed to the pain from her partially-melted armor. Charging her body with a layer of magic, she batted aside the metal blades and leapt for her weapon again. Fulgurus knelt down and picked up the celestial sword in his free hand, only for it to shudder and release a violent pulse of magic as if objecting to his presence. This burst stunned Fulgurus long enough for Kagura to sweep in and grab her sword - but not long enough to stop Fulgurus from swinging his glaive and sending her flying, the strike carving a gash into her chestplate.

Kagura landed and staggered a little, using magic to partially mend the gash in her armor by melding the metal back together. Raising her sword, she sent out a supersonic crescent of light - Fulgurus leapt over it to dodge, but the missed strike still cut an entire building in half. Grunting, Fulgurus leveled his spear and dashed straight at Kagura, who nimbly avoided the ensuing slash. Spinning his glaive as the multitude of jets within his armor skillfully activated and deactivated to fuel his momentum, the Statican emperor let loose a flurry of bladed strikes that Kagura's superhuman reflexes were just barely able to avoid.

Shock waves tore up the already-ravaged town as Kagura managed to break free and release several more cutters from her sword. Fulgurus took one to his armor - the dark plates cracking and shattering - before leaping at Kagura and spearing her through the arm with his glaive. Forcing a surge of electricity into her to further damage the Lucian princess, he spun around and hurled Kagura into a nearby bar, demolishing it.

Fulgurus landed in the bar with a smash, lowering his glaive and preparing to strike again. However, behind the downed princess, he realized with growing dread that he had taken the fight to an area still rife with evacuating civilians. At the sight of the towering mechanical warrior, the civilians unanimously went pale with fright and screamed, trying to evacuate faster.

If Kagura cared, she didn't outwardly show it. She got to her feet and immediately raised her sword, a halo of fiery light manifesting above her and burning what remained of the bar's ceiling. The halo expanded over the whole town square as fiery blue meteors started raining down among the ruins, forcing Fulgurus to counterattack with a storm of electrified comets and more metal scrap hurled at the meteors to intercept them.

The civilians weren't so lucky. Both Kagura and Fulgurus were consciously trying to avoid them, but the explosions from the meteor barrage and lightning rain spared nobody. Buildings were demolished, civilians were scattered, and the particularly unlucky were utterly destroyed by the magical attacks, or killed by collapsing rubble.

Fulgurus and Kagura both winced, but neither of them were willing to give up their advantage. Raising his hand, the Lord of Lightning summoned several globes of plasma which opened fire on Kagura with electrifying bolts. While she was preoccupied with deflecting them, he raised a nearby metal beam and used his power to magnetically accelerate it at supersonic speed - just as his Barons had done before. With a sonic boom, the beam struck Kagura head-on, the impact sending her soaring high into the sky. Never one to let up, Fulgurus took to the sky himself, preparing to spear Kagura through the torso - and to his surprise, he succeeded, releasing a surge of lightning that seemed to split the sky.

With alarming speed, the impaled Kagura raised her sword and cut into Fulgurus' shoulder, the celestial blade slicing through most of his armored plates in that slash. As Kagura continued driving the blade into her foe's shoulder, Fulgurus grabbed his glaive and kicked out, dislodging both of them by sending them flying. Hovering to a stop, both of them hastily healed themselves as much as they could, before Kagura took the initiative and tackled Fulgurus, grappling him and launching them into the sky.

Fulgurus roared, releasing a maelstrom of roiling electricity in an attempt to deter his foe. However, she didn't let up despite the arcs burning her armor and body, dragging Fulgurus up into the air and hurling him back towards the ground. Fulgurus flew towards the mobile city that had been parked to oversee the invasion, smashing through a glass-and-steel office building and slamming into the pavement hard enough to crater it. While the streets were somewhat deserted thanks to Fulgurus calling for a hold and secure as soon as the fighting had approached the city, they were not completely uninhabited - the few civilians present screamed in terror and started fleeing.

The Lord of Lighting groaned as Kagura landed in front of him, pounding another crater into the pavement. Connecting to the city broadcast system, his voice boomed from every single speaker in the mobile city. "Citizens, heed my call! The fighting has unfortunately leaked into the mobile city. Your safety is in peril - the mightiest Lucian foe stands above you right now. Follow the rehearsed evacuation procedure - many Statican enforcers will be there to guide you. Do not fear. You are most certainly skilled enough to evacuate safely and on time, and your leader will protect you with his life."

Kagura ignored the message and hurled herself at Fulgurus, blade raised. The Lord of Lightning raised his glaive and smited the whole area with a fierce barrage of explosive lightning, slowing Kagura's advance enough to move in and send her skyward with an upwards slash. When Kagura tried to exert magical force and take Fulgurus with her, he neutered it with his own burst of magic before hurling another thunderbolt that struck her in a sky-eclipsing flash of light.

The Lucian princess screamed and raised her sword again, her armor smoldering and parts of her hair on fire. With repeated swings of her weapon, she unleashed searing rays of golden light that cut through the skyscrapers and pavement as if they were water. Fulgurus nimbly avoided the strikes and soared into the air to attack, spinning his glaive and releasing yet another surge of lightning.

Kagura batted it aside, shook the fire out of her hair, and charged. As Fulgurus raised his glaive to spear her through the chest, she ducked to one side, grabbed it, and used it as a handhold to swing Fulgurus around. Hurling him into a nearby office building, Kagura dashed at him and struck him again and again, sending him crashing through building after building. His armor was being broken apart bit by bit, the nanomachines within only able to do so much to sustain it.

However, the Statican emperor was eventually able to get his bearings, releasing a massive surge of energy that supercharged everything within a kilometer of his body. The air itself became his storm, letting loose with ionized bursts of energy that spontaneously burst into existence and struck at his foe. Kagura staggered from the barrage - allowing Fulgurus to strike through and nearly take off Kagura's arm in one slash, the excess force launching her into the lower atmosphere.

Kagura healed it off alarmingly quickly, although her armor was having trouble fully regenerating thanks to Fulgurus spalling off chunks of the enchanted metal with every hit he got in. Screaming out, the Lucian princess wreathed herself in mystical light as the air around her grew heavy with overwhelming magical pressure. In a flash, she shot herself at the Lord of Lightning, who fully released his electrifying aura and met the attack in yet another sky-eclipsing supernova.

They fought, and fought, and fought some more. The force of every impact shattered windows and punched dents into buildings as they soared between skyscrapers at breakneck speeds, clashing with both blade and sorcery. In fact, every few seconds, they'd outright plow through skyscrapers as if they were made of rotting wood, either sending them collapsing or blasting them apart in cataclysmic explosions. Even the misfired discharges from their clashes were enough to shatter some of the buildings - Fulgurus was hoping that nobody was inside of them or near them, but even he knew that there were likely more than a few civilian casualties at this point.

In a decisive clash, both of them flew backwards and smashed into skyscrapers - Kagura crashed into an office lounge and demolished all the furniture, while Fulgurus leveled a hotel room in the impact. Raising their weapons in unison, the magical pressure in the air reached a fever pitch as both of them simultaneously gathered as much power as they could muster. With a swing of her sword, Kagura sent a colossal beam of stellar flame crashing down upon her foe, just as Fulgurus called down a cataclysmic surge of lightning atop her as well.

The twin explosions engulfed everything - tearing through steel, concrete, and pavement as if they were all made of putty. The blasts ripped through the mobile city and shook it to its core, the immense destructive power actually penetrating its multiple armored layers and instantly obliterating all the machinery and architecture that supported the grand structure, causing just about everything to cave in and collapse. Buildings toppled, torrents of rubble roared through the ruined city, and the winds stirred by the chaos tore the very clouds apart...

Until suddenly, there was only crackling fire and settling dust.

Slowly gripping whatever handholds he could find, Fulgurus clawed his way out of the rubble, his broken armor sparking. His armor was shattered, his body was bleeding in several places, his helmet was destroyed, and his glaive had been snapped in half from the fighting, but he still gripped the top half of the weapon tightly as he stumbled through the rubble, searching for Kagura so he could finish the fight.

Hearing a cough echo through the dusty, desolate ruins of what used to be one of his empire's mobile cities, Fulgurus waded through the rubble until he saw a hand shove aside a pile of what looked like broken automobile parts. Digging her way out of the wreckage and trying to stand up, Kagura panted and planted her sword in the ground - her magic had been severely drained, much of her plate armor was in pieces, and to Fulgurus' surprise, streaks of blood covered her face.

_Even a Celestial vessel can still bleed..._

Kagura glared up at Fulgurus as he lowered his glaive, letting the point hover mere centimeters from Kagura's throat. Even with celestial power backing her up, he doubted she'd survive if her head was lopped off. "I...am giving you one more chance. Yield...and I will spare your life. Otherwise...you will die."

Kagura's eyes flitted around the area. Then, she made a swiping motion with her fingers, and the unstable rubble beneath Fulgurus gave way.

The fatigued Lord of Lightning was unable to maintain his stance, faltering for a split second - enough for Kagura to curl up and kick him in the knee, unbalancing him further. Shakily getting to her feet, Kagura raised her sword and prepared to swing.

Fulgurus was surprised that Kagura had enough power left - was it just because she was still young and spry, or did her Celestial power truly grant her such limitless strength? However, as tired as he was, he still had some fight left in him too - regaining his balance in an instant, he went in for the kill with an intense blast of lightning aimed at Kagura's head. When she barely blocked the attack with her cosmic blade, Fulgurus swung his glaive - taking off Kagura's arm at the elbow.

To his utter surprise, Kagura's other hand reached out and grabbed the separated limb. In a flash, she reattached the arm almost instantly - seamlessly transitioning into another two-handed slash. While her arm still hadn't exactly healed and was still in very poor shape, that slash took Fulgurus off guard and sliced off his own hand at the wrist.

Fulgurus gamely used his remaining hand to catch his glaive and swat aside Kagura's sword, but she tossed it over his reach and caught it with her working hand. With a final stroke, she struck him down, cutting into an exposed section of his shoulder and carving a massive gash from his shoulder all the way to his stomach.

The Lord of Lightning gasped and coughed, the air around him sparking as his remaining magic went haywire and discharged into the surroundings. As he crumpled over and collapsed on his back, Kagura also stumbled and fell, dropping to her knees. Even though she was the victor, Kagura had been pushed so far that even she was on her last legs - she was totally exhausted and nearly out of magic, not to mention that her right arm was still not fully reattached.

"Urk…" Fulgurus groaned, his fingers checking for blood - and finding that Kagura's blade had cauterized the lethal cut. He could already feel his life ebbing as his vision swam - that hit had likely ruptured much of his vitals. "Good...fight…"

Kagura gasped for breath. "You...were truly the greatest warrior I've crossed blades with. Never before...have I...been pushed so far. The difference between us was truly miniscule...if I had slipped up even once more, I would have died."

"But you didn't. You've...beaten me." Fulgurus choked. "You've won. The Lord of Lightning has fallen at last. I guess you really got to keep that promise..."

The faintest hints of a smile tugged at Kagura's lips. "The least I can do is keep my own. Please don't fear - I will do everything I can to spare your people. If I'm being honest, your empire will live to see another day. Someone will almost certainly follow in your lead..."

Fulgurus couldn't help but smile a little as well as he closed his eyes. "Thank...you. That's as much...as I can ask for."

"You are in pain, are you not? Do you need me to finish this?"

"...No need. I'll wait...for death to come and take me themselves. Unless you've suddenly decided to save me..."

"...Even if I spared you and drove you out of Lucia, you would never give up your empire to us without a fight. This situation would repeat - and a message must be sent to the Staticans. I will end you...I must."

"...Figured..."

So, Kagura sat down and rested silently - until, among the ashes and flames of the destroyed city, the Lord of Lightning's heart stopped beating.

They were enemies, but a good warrior knew how to recognize a worthy foe.

After Fulgurus' demise, it didn't take much to convince the Staticans to stand down. The defeat of their invincible leader combined with Kagura's arrival was so crushing to their morale that those who could were quick to flee Lucia, while the less fortunate military divisions surrendered outright when faced with the revitalized Lucian forces.

In truth, Kagura's duel with the Lord of Lightning had tired her so much that she wasn't in much of a state to be fighting armies single-handedly like she usually did - perhaps if the Barons of Lightning had been in a stable enough mental state to gang up on her, they would have been able to kill her easily. But honoring her promise to Fulgurus, she did everything in her power to ensure that the Staticans were not harmed - and that the fleeing ones were not hunted down. Killing Fulgurus should have sent a message that they should never come back to Lucia - perhaps one day Lucia would come to them, but that wasn't on Kagura's mind at the moment.

Once all the soldiers had rested, the king and queen called for a victory parade across the local settlements - not only was this in celebration of winning a gruelling battle over a terrifying foe, it was also in acknowledgement of their peerless princess and the awe-inspiring power she possessed - as well as how she had used that power to once again lead Lucia to victory.

Kagura was never one to feel much about such celebrations, but this time she was eager. The last place on her list of settlements to visit was Stonewell - which meant that after she was done...she could see Kagami again.

Kagami had been returning back to her sanctuary after a lengthy work session when she had heard the news - and her heart had nearly leapt out of her chest. Kagura was coming to Stonewell? It was like a dream come true for her!

If she was being honest, the last year had been nothing short of dismal. Ever since her disappearance, her best friend had never shown up again - leaving her wanting for kindness once again. She had once again tried to defy fate and make friends, but that had failed miserably - especially since she had gained a slightly-more-than-mild reputation as one favored by the princess. As much as she attracted hostility and hate from all those around her, they still paid her for her service around Stonewell - so Kagami was still able to survive, and actually somewhat thrive - or at least, it would have felt more like she was thriving if her heart hadn't been so empty.

For better or for worse, she constantly heard about Kagura's exploits. She was always in the news...her dear friend had become an indomitable warrior that had transcended humanity. Every one of her victories was celebrated by most...but for those vehemently against the country, those victories were dreaded as part of the expansion of a country that they felt didn't deserve it. Even as they massed at the cliffs of Stonewell and watched Kagura's cataclysmic battle with Fulgurus from afar, everyone's breath had been bated. And when they were informed that Fulgurus had fallen, the responses had been somewhat mixed. After seeing how well the Staticans had treated them during their occupation in Stonewell, many were hoping that they took over for good.

After her meeting with Fulgurus, Kagami had been genuinely afraid that Kagura would die. But now, that wasn't a problem anymore. Fulgurus had asked who she would be rooting for...Kagami had avoided the thought for all of that battle. And now, she didn't have to make a choice anymore.

A part of her honestly feared that Kagura was now too busy for her. But the plucky girl refused to give up hope. She trusted that as soon as Kagura had the time, she would visit her again, and bring happiness into her life once more. And now, an opportunity had arisen.

As the sounds of triumphant brass heralded the parade's arrival, Kagami ran towards the center of down, only to turn a corner and bump into another group of youth that had unknowingly walked into her path. As they turned towards her, their expressions hardening, Kagami preemptively shut off her ears.

"You. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you still be...I don't know, wherever you spend your time by yourself?"

Kagami shrugged and tried to just keep walking, but one of them grabbed her by the arm. "You're going to the victory parade, aren't you? Everyone is."

"I bet she's hoping to meet the princess again." one of the others scoffed. "Don't make me laugh! I still don't believe that she was able to notice someone like you, much less get friendly with you. But even if that was true, she's never gonna notice you now. She's a demigod now - Lucian royalty is already so far above us, but now she's transcended humanity itself. If she's so far above us, what makes you think she'll even recognize someone like you?"

No reply from Kagami.

One of them reached out and shoved her, sending her stumbling into a ditch. "Just stay here, won't you? No point in you seeing the princess. You'd just be wasting space that someone else could use."

"Hey." an older man scolded, pulling the youth away from Kagami. "Don't waste your time on her. You want to be late?"

Reluctantly, the youth obeyed. The moment they turned away from her, Kagami got to her feet and dusted herself off - nothing they had said had even hurt her. She would no longer cry any time her heart felt the pain of sadness - her heart had hardened enough to shut out the pain, most of the time.

A part of her felt guilty - doing that felt so unnatural. Emotion was a natural part of humans, or so she was taught - so what did that make her, who was now able to shut off emotion at will? Everyone treated her as less than human...had she truly become like that? And by her own volition, of all things?

_What would it be like to have no heart? Would I never feel pain again?_

Kagami instantly rejected the thought. If she had no heart, she'd never be able to feel happiness. And despite happiness being so rare in her life, Kagami valued those moments so much that she could never bear giving them up, even if it meant that she'd always feel the pain of the cruel world trying to claw apart her heart. Besides, if she couldn't feel happiness, what would Kagura say? How would she feel if Kagami could never smile for her again?

Regardless, she kept going along her trip. Sneaking around buildings and trying not to draw attention, Kagami found that the towering crowd easily blocked the vision of someone as short as herself. Never one to falter, Kagami noticed a pile of barrels behind the crowd - it was tall enough to use as a footstool, but Kagami doubted that it'd elevate her high enough to stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, she discovered that they were full - and she didn't have the kind of strength to rearrange each barrel and make a taller stack. She had to settle with clambering atop the unsteady pile of barrels and hoping it made her tall enough.

_Please see me…_

The sounds of the marching band and the stomping of boots got louder as the parade approached them - met by thunderous applause by the crowds. If there were any dissenters, they stayed silent.

Then Kagami saw her - dressed in her standard regal attire and shimmering with divine radiance, Kagura smiled and waved to the masses, an exemplar of regal grace and power. One look at Kagura's face, and Kagami instantly knew she had possibly changed even more than she had imagined. She was sterner, older, more dignified - more of a princess, less of the gentle girl Kagami was used to. It would have gone unnoticed by anyone else, but Kagami could also tell that something was up with her. The look in her eyes was the same look Kagura had worn whenever she had confided her insecurities to Kagami. She was ever so slightly disengaged, distracted, thinking of something that wasn't what she was doing. Kagami might have been seeing things, but were her eyes flitting around nervously?

Kagami wanted to scream out, but she knew that would only draw unwanted attention that would likely end in violence. Her only option was to pray silently.

_I'm here! Kagura!_

However, for a split second, Kagura's eyes turned towards her - and widened. Instantly, Kagami heard an all-too-familiar voice speaking within her mind.

_"...You're here! After this, please go to your sanctuary."_

Kagami's heart felt like it was ready to explode. A smile crept across her face as she resisted the urge to giddily jump around like a little kid and scream out in joy.

_She noticed me...she still remembers!_

Kagami scolded herself for thinking that. She should have a little more faith in her friend. No matter what, Kagura would never forget her! She had promised that they'd be friends forever!

_That was when we were still little kids, right? What a naive thing to remember…_

Regardless, she was beyond happy. Practically skipping back towards her sanctuary, Kagami started compiling a list of all the things she wanted to talk about. A year alone had been a long time for her.

She hoped Kagura still wanted to be friends with her.

However, once she had waited at the cliff's edge for about ten minutes, something felt off. Not because Kagura wasn't here - Kagami felt as if something was somehow very wrong.

Her suspicions were confirmed when her ears picked up a faint crinkling of leaves. Slowly turning around, she decided to take a risk. "Who's there?"

Kagami yelped a little and stumbled back as the air shimmered, revealing two men in front of her. They were dressed in what looked like lightweight, black metal armor and wore dark cloaks, leading Kagami to suspect they were soldiers of some kind. Loaded scabbards were strapped to their belts, although their size implied that they were long knives instead of full-fledged swords.

But the alarming thing was that they hadn't been hiding there - they had just appeared, seemingly out of thin air. _Are these...assassins?_

"Busted, huh?" the first one groaned. "I told you to be more careful."

"The silencing barrier was active, I checked. It's not my fault!"

The commoner girl was scared out of her wits. She would normally be rather apathetic, but a crucial moment was coming up. "W-Who are you?"

The second man exhaled in frustration. "That doesn't matter to you, girl. Are you the one they call Kagami?"

"...Why does my name matter to you?"

Instantly, Kagami shrank back as both of them put their hands on the hilts of their weapons. The second man took a step forward, towering over her. "We're going to make this simple. We're assassins from a nation we won't disclose, but they have quite a grudge against this blasted kingdom. We're not here to kill you - our purpose is capturing you."

Kagami tried to swallow her fear and glare up at him, discreetly inching towards the tree that she stored items in. "Why? I'm just a villager."

The first man shook his head. "Info wrangled out of those Lucian aristocrats says otherwise. As pitiful as you look, you're one of the few people that princess Kagura has any recorded ties to. And if their words are correct, you were quite close, right? That princess is an invincible force in battle. Nobody can beat her - even the Lord of Lightning has fallen to her now. But you...if there's even the smallest chance that she still holds some sentiment for you, you could be the chip that will turn the tides on Lucia."

Kagami grit her teeth as she understood what they meant. _Gah...Fulgurus could have done this too, right? I guess he was disgusted at the idea of taking me hostage...but these guys don't think the same way, huh?_

"You won't agree. But you don't have a choice." the first man told her bluntly. "You're coming with us. How much it hurts depends on how much you struggle."

In that second, Kagami made a hasty decision. "...I'd rather die than be used to hurt Kagura! Hyah!"

Grabbing her pocket knife from the storage beside her, Kagami flipped it open and lunged, aiming at the thinnest-looking armor she could see.

_Crunch!_

Kagami gasped in pain as one of the assassins lifted his leg and swiftly kicked her in the chest before she could strike. Immediately, she felt like shards of glass had suddenly flooded her chest - judging from the assassin's strength and her own physical frailty, she was almost certain that kick had instantly broken her ribs.

The commoner girl coughed and gagged, crumpling over and collapsing in a curled-up ball. Grunting in displeasure, the assassin that had kicked her reached down and roughly picked her up by her arm, dangling her in the air as his cohort confiscated her knife. "I told you - you're coming with us whether you like it or not. You're just making it harder on yourself. You don't stand a snowball's chance in hell against us."

However, a familiar voice rang through the clearing. "But I do."

All three of them turned towards the sudden voice in alarm. Standing at the entrance to the clearing was none other than Kagura herself, sparkling with an aura of silver-and-gold light. The moment she processed the situation, her eyes lit up with fiery luminosity as she drew her weapon, its starry blade materializing in a flash. Neither Kagami nor the assassins had ever seen Kagura this angry before - even in battle, she was mostly composed, but now she looked borderline furious.

The princess raised her sword, which hummed with power. "Let her go, and I might consider sparing your lives."

In response, the assassins turned to flee, their armor glowing as they prepared to use what was likely some kind of speed-enhancing technique that would let them escape. With a sudden burst of speed, Kagura raised her hand, deploying a huge glowing barrier that enveloped the whole area - just in time, as the assassins dashed faster than the untrained eye could follow, only to slam into the barrier.

One flash of light later, and Kagura was upon them - and the two of them split up in alarm. The first assassin drew their dark metal blade and tried to slash at Kagura, only for her to grab the blade with her bare hand. Half a second later, glowing cracks spread through the dark metal - one second later, and it was reduced to a shower of glowering ashes. The assassin didn't even have time to retaliate again before Kagura swung her blade, instantly separating his head from his body.

As the body of his cohort crumpled to the ground, the assassin holding Kagami grabbed her tight with one arm, using the other to draw his knife and hold it to Kagami's throat. "Don't move, if you value this girl's safety!"

Kagura gripped her sword uncharacteristically tightly. "Let. Kagami. Go!"

However, for all her power, even Kagura was racking her brain for a solution. She had seen that the assassin was extremely fast and reasonably powerful, even for her. Even if she could attack, she honestly wasn't sure if she could close the distance before he sliced Kagami's throat in two. If she suppressed him with magic, he would likely still retain enough strength to drive the blade into Kagami's neck. And letting Kagami die _was not_ an option for her.

Kagami choked and sputtered weakly, the assassin's vice-like grip pressing her broken bones further into her body. In her panic, she came up with an idea - this would be excruciatingly painful, but it was better than dying. Provided that Kagura didn't surrender, she didn't see any way she was getting out alive. And she wasn't about to drag down Kagura like that.

As the assassin's blade cut slightly into Kagami's neck, the girl grit her teeth and looked at Kagura, before glancing towards her stomach - directly on top of where the assassin's heart was. She discreetly made a motion with her index finger - piercing.

Kagura understood what she meant - and her mind raced to process if it was possible. If she disregarded Kagami's safety, she could strike fast enough to instantly kill the assassin by impaling both of them. She'd have to run through Kagami's lower torso - which would be fatal if she didn't heal her fast enough - but in the process, she'd pierce the assassin's heart, possibly instantly killing him. Even if he didn't die instantly, the shock would be enough for Kagura to suppress all of his physical and magical capabilities with her own power, which would stop him from taking Kagami with him.

"Put your weapon down!" the assassin yelled. "I won't hesitate! I'll kill her!"

For a second, Kagura wavered. A rare emotion appeared in her eyes - hesitation.

Kagami mouthed two words. _Do it!_

Taking a deep breath, Kagura lowered her sword as if to feign surrender. The moment her sword was level with her target, she struck - a flash of cosmic lightning, heralded by the thunderclap of a miniature sonic boom.

Kagami had been expecting the attack, but the sudden agony had still instantly sent her into a state of shock. Kagura's energy blade had instantly pierced her, ruptured most of her organs, and cut her spine in two - all while letting off searing heat that instantly cauterized the gaping wound. It was like she had been skewered by a molten rod, almost as if she were one of the fish she ate - except they had at least been killed _before_ being impaled.

If the agonizing pain had lasted longer, Kagami would have passed out - but Kagura kept steady and worked fast. She vaguely felt the assassin's grip slacken as Kagura pulled out the blade and grabbed Kagami - all within the span of a single blink of Kagami's eyes.

She'd admit that she had been scared. But at the same time, she had absolute faith that Kagura could save her in time. And she was right - the second Kagami crumpled to the ground in a heap, Kagura raised her hands and mended all her wounds before Kagami could even say anything.

She blinked as the pain instantly faded. Feeling the place where the hole in her stomach had used to be, she unsteadily got to her feet - only to feel a hand grab hers and help her up. Looking up, she saw Kagura smiling down at her, the furious light in her eyes dimmed to a gentle flicker. "You're as brave as ever, Kagami. I'm impressed."

Staring at her dear friend, Kagami felt...overwhelmed. "Kagura? I-I mean, it's still you, right? You didn't forget me?"

For a split second, Kagami saw a twinge of guilt in Kagura's face...but this soon vanished as the princess laughed gently. "Yes, it's still me. And I still remember you, Kagami."

Kagami couldn't hold back any longer. Tears springing to her eyes, she leapt at Kagura and tackled her in a hug - which Kagura quickly reciprocated. "Kagura! Oh, I'm so happy to see you again! I...I've missed you so much!"

"Hehe. I've missed you too, my friend."

Kagura was warm. She smelled like smoldering cinders. Less of the cinders of a fireplace and more like the cinders that danced through the carnage of battle, but it was a warm smell nonetheless.

When Kagami pulled out of the hug, she managed to get a good look at Kagura. On the outside, she hadn't really changed - she was the same fair-skinned, somewhat thin-framed girl, with hair like mystic silver and eyes of warm gold. She even wore the same regal attire that Kagami was used to seeing her in. If anything had changed, she was a lot taller than usual - if Kagami knelt down a little, her eyes would now be level with her waist. Kagura still seemed about average height for her age, so maybe it was just more that Kagami hadn't grown?

"...You've grown." Kagami offered simply. "Are you taller than other people now?"

Kagura laughed. "I'm surprised you still remember that. Regretfully not - but I've long since let go of such petty grievances."

Her manner of speaking was different. She was formal, confident, and composed. She no longer stuttered at all - carrying herself with a more serious air. Gone was the shy child from before - this was a dignified princess standing before Kagami.

Regardless, it was clear that Kagura was still gentle at heart. Raising her hand, she patted Kagami on the head, causing her to laugh softly. "If anything, you're the one who needs to grow more. But I understand that it's very hard for you...I trust that you've been doing your best despite the circumstances?"

"I've been trying." Kagami replied. "It ain't easy, but I'm surviving."

Kagura smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. But I've got a lot I want to tell you about - and I'm sure you have just as many things to tell me. How about we move somewhere where we can relax some more?"

"Where do you have in mind, Kagura?"

_A few minutes later…_

In a cafe at Zenith, Kagura carefully counted coins and slid them across the counter. The cashier took them, counted them, and slid a plate of confections onto the counter in return, along with two drinks. "Thank you for your patronage, princess!"

Kagura nodded as she took her order. "No, thank _you_ for your service. You're doing a good job."

As much as everyone was inclined to just offer things to their princess, it was Lucian tradition that even royalty were expected to buy things as if they were normal citizens. Kagura didn't like the notion of using her authority for selfish purposes, so she wholeheartedly supported this ideology as well.

Taking her goods, Kagura discreetly slipped into a corner and used her magic to cloak herself from sight. Walking between customers and heading towards a table in the corner of the cafe's outdoor patio, Kagura took a seat at the table concealed by her magic, dropping the tray of snacks in front of her eager friend.

After disposing of the assassins' bodies - Kagami had nearly screamed when Kagura had casually vaporized the corpses with celestial fire - Kagura had used her magic and warped them both to a cafe in Zenith. Understanding that the nobles would react poorly to Kagami's presence, she used magic to conceal a table from human senses, where she told Kagami to sit. She knew how much Kagami liked food, so she figured that she'd also enjoy this outing.

"W-Whoaaa…" Kagami stammered in awe, her eyes practically gleaming at the sight of the rich confections laid out before her. "There are so many! And all of them look so tasty! Is it...really okay for me to be eating these?"

"No need to be so humble, my friend." Kagura assured her. "Take what you want."

"Is that a sweet roll?" the commoner girl gawked, pointing at a soft bun buried in the pile of snacks. "You really remembered? You're awesome, Kagura!"

"What can I say? If I forgot, it'd take a while to forgive myself."

Eagerly, Kagami dug in as Kagura sipped from her cup of coffee. The princess recalled a time that she would have been just as excited, but now, she was more subdued. However, watching Kagami eat the snacks with so much joy in her face filled Kagura with a kind of heartfelt emotion - her smile still brought her so much happiness.

Kagami gulped down the muffin she had just eaten and looked up at Kagura. "So, Kagura, how's your life been? I see you all the time in the news...you're considered a hero now, aren't you? It's really cool."

Kagura hesitated, then nodded. "I have been very busy. And I have indeed become very powerful...I've learned to fully harness my abilities as a vessel, and I can now wield the power of the Celestials to a very honed degree."

Kagami grinned. "Yeah, you really are like a demigod now!"

"...Are you afraid of me? I'm not a human anymore. I've fought many nations, killed many people. And my power is on a completely different level than that of-"

The blonde girl waved it off. "It's true that you're very different now, but you're still Kagura - you said it yourself. You'd never hurt me by your own will, so why would I be afraid of you?"

Kagura hung her head for a bit. "Even though I hurt you that time before…?"

"You didn't mean it." Kagami assured her. "You'd never mean to hurt me. Accidents happen, right?"

Internally, Kagami regretted that she'd never get to reassure the old Kagura at this point. She supposed that reassuring the new one would suffice.

Kagura seemed to accept this reply, sighing as she took a biscuit of her own. "But I _have_ been very busy lately. I'm very sorry that I can't visit you often - I know that it's hard to find other people who can bypass your curse. But I still have obligations to fulfil."

Kagami nodded. "Mhm. I know you're busy, but it's the thought that counts, right? As long as I know you still remember me, that's enough."

The princess raised an eyebrow. "Is it really?"

"...Okay, fine. I'll admit it, it kind of sucks when I'm alone. You're the only one that cares about me...that _can_ care about me despite my curse. Living by myself in a world where everyone ignores me or hates me...is so lonely."

Kagura sighed. "There's nothing wrong with saying what you feel! I understand...and I'm sorry. But I can't abandon my duties. I'm going to be in charge of Lucia at some point, and I need to uphold its status in this world. With my power, and under my leadership, all enemies to the kingdom must be destroyed, in order to assure prosperity to all living within our borders."

"E-Eh?" Kagami stammered in surprise. "But...er, do you ever regret anything you've done in your fights? I know you've had to kill a lot of people…"

Kagura hesitated, then shook her head. "Regret? Maybe, but I don't have the luxury of looking back. I have a job to do...and I'll admit it, as I've fought battle after battle, it's been easier to...distance myself from my actions. Everything I do is for this kingdom...lives must be preserved when they can be, but if people must die, so be it."

Those words were some of the most un-Kagura-like words that Kagami had heard come from her mouth - she attributed it to her altered personality, but it still didn't unsettle her any more. "W-Wow. You're really dedicated, aren't you? The Kagura from before was never this gung-ho about Lucia's future."

Seeing Kagami's perturbed expression, Kagura suddenly became nervous. "Well...I've changed a lot from back then. To be honest, I don't really remember much of how I was like before. Kagami...did you like the old Kagura better? Is my current self...something you don't like?"

A part of Kagami wanted to say yes, but her actual thoughts were a little more complicated than that. "Er...if I'm being honest, you used to be a lot friendlier. But I'm not saying the 'you' right now is bad. You're a lot more confident now, right? I think that your new strengths would benefit you more - and not just your combat strength."

The princess seemed hesitant for a bit, but nodded. "Huh. If that's what you think...thank you. It's reassuring to see you still support me."

Kagami just nodded enthusiastically and took a long sip of her hot cocoa - she had requested something sweet, so Kagura had chosen one of the most absurdly saccharine drinks the cafe had, correctly guessing that Kagami would love it. "No need to thank me. But enough about that - what wonderful new sights have you seen on your travels nowadays?"

The princess was surprised. "...What?"

"Y'know, you used to always tell me all about the places you visited when you travelled all around Lurie. Surely you've seen some more during the last year, right?"

Kagura was lost for words. She _had_ seen a lot of new sights during her travels, but she had been so focused on her duties that she hadn't really paid attention to them. Shrugging guiltily, Kagura admitted her loss. "I...can't really remember them. I'm sorry."

Kagami looked a little crestfallen. "Oh? Ah...okay. It's understandable."

The princess felt a little bad, so she decided to change the subject. "Ahem...so, anyways, enough about me. How has your life been going? I understand that your life is one filled with hardship...but surely, there has been happiness in that hardship, right?"

She was a little afraid that Kagami would rebuke her, but she smiled instead. "All things considered, it's going well. I'm studying hard and doing well in school, and making money by doing even more jobs around town. I'm still super weak, but I make sure to live as healthy as possible - and I haven't gotten sick a lot, so I guess it's helping. Sure, everyone still hates me, and I get made fun of all the time, and I'm always getting hurt...but I get over it quickly, and that's what matters. And happiness...well, I guess what makes me happy nowadays is looking at nature and enjoying my time alone? A cruel world can still be beautiful, right?"

Kagura's instinct to protect this frail little girl in front of her was nearing its peak. "...I wish there was anything I could do to help you."

Kagami scarfed down another cookie. "Actually...out of curiosity, you're super strong now, right? Could you...remove my curse?"

Kagura hesitated, then reached across the table and touched Kagami's face. Scouring her being for traces of magic, she sighed once she got her answer. "I...can't do that. That confounding dark magic has subsumed itself into your being - it's all but a part of you now. If I tried to remove it, I might even end up causing catastrophic damage to your mind or body - you might even die. To remove it safely would take a power far above even what I possess...that power might not even exist. I can't risk it...I'm sorry."

"...Nah. I shouldn't have expected it to be that easy." Kagami replied. She sounded...not as disappointed as she should have been? "Besides, you're right - that curse is a part of me now. I have to live with it, but at the same time, it...kind of feels like it's something that helps define who I am? If anything, it's the reason I was able to meet you...is it wrong to think that way?"

Kagura was surprised by how positive that thought was, coming from the usually-pessimistic Kagami. "Maybe? I must say, that way of thinking is incredibly admirable. If you can keep yourself sustained by positive thoughts like this, you'll surely be able to keep your chin up as you work towards your future."

"You really think so, Kagura?"

A nod from the princess. "You're one of the most determined people I know. No matter what happens to you, I'm confident you'll be able to seize a future for yourself. Despite the fact that you fight a battle harder than anything I've fought."

Kagami tilted her head. "I'm fighting a battle harder than you? You fight entire armies, and beings that amount to gods!"

"Yes, but you fight against the world itself." Kagura argued, gently but firmly. "I'm blessed with both divine power and high status to aid me. You were born with virtually nothing, and still had so much taken from you. The fact that you've survived to this day is a testament of your strength. Hell, if you were in my position right now, you'd probably be doing better than I'm doing right now."

"...Well, it's all thanks to you, Kagura!"

"That will be the hardest part for you." Kagura muttered. "You'll survive, I'm sure of it. The harder part is whether you'll be able to smile through all of it...and I think you can. The memories are a little foggy, but I've seen how happy you can truly be, during our times together. But I may not always be with you...can you keep your chin up when you're alone?"

Kagami frowned. "I...don't know. A world without you isn't a world I want to be in."

Kagura reached across the table and placed her hands on Kagami's shoulders, staring into her eyes with such a ferocious gaze that Kagami shrank back in alarm. "That's what I'm worried about! If I eventually vanish from your life...what will drive you forward then? Will you merely let your life end? I cannot accept that! I beg of you, you must find more things to drive you onwards! Cultivate any kind of hope for the future - set a goal for yourself, and shoot endlessly towards it, no matter how difficult! I don't want you to survive - I want you to _live!"_

She blinked and realized that Kagami looked like she was about to cry. Flinching and drawing back, Kagura cleared her throat and sank back into her chair. "I...I'm sorry. I got carried away, didn't I?"

"N-No!" Kagami stammered, recovering her composure. "If anything, I'm glad you're bold enough to tell me these things up front. But...living, huh? A dream for the future? All of that is really hard for me...but surely, surely I can create that for myself, right?"

Kagura tried for a smile. "If anything, I once offered to give you a future by my side in Zenith, right? My offer still stands...once I'm queen, I'll tear down the laws that have oppressed Lucia, or at least try my best to. Then, I'll make sure you have a place by my side...er, I still haven't decided on exactly what."

"Wait. You're serious?"

"Always have been." was the adamant reply. "You've given me so much. You deserve all of this and so much more."

Kagami's lips curved into an honest smile. "Heh...I guess I'll wait for you, then."

"That's no excuse to give up, though. Please consider everything I told you."

"...Alright, princess."

Normally Kagura would go red and complain about Kagami's word choice, but this Kagura just smiled. "You'll win this battle. You have my blessing, and my faith."

Kagami looked out over the balcony, gazing into the distance. The cafe's balcony had been built over a lush hilly clearing peppered with trees, but beyond that was a sheer cliff. Staring at the clouds, it was hard to believe her home was somewhere down there. Could she really one day have a place in the sky among the people of Zenith?

"Oh, and speaking of battle…" Kagami added, almost sheepishly, "I have a small request to make…it's a little silly, though."

Kagura was intrigued. "Mhm? Go ahead."

"Can I...see your sword? I noticed you were carrying it..."

The princess blinked. Then, she laughed. "Oh, Kagami! There's no need to be embarrassed. Of course you can see it - I can understand why you'd find it interesting. It's quite a remarkable weapon, and even I find myself staring at it sometimes."

"Yeah, it looks so cool!" Kagami gushed. "I always see pictures of you in the news...I wonder what it'd be like to wear that kind of battle regalia."

"It's really not that exciting." Kagura half-heartedly assured her. "Well, I barely feel a difference with the armor, but it might be a bit heavy for you."

"Well...can I at least have a cool cape like yours?"

Kagura couldn't help but freely laugh at the earnest display of childlike innocence. If she really had been this excitable before, she could understand how she had become such good friends with Kagami. Making sure her concealing field was working and expanded over the whole table, Kagura drew her sword and activated it, the cosmic blade flaring to life and extending to its full length.

"Whoa!" Kagami exclaimed, shuffling over to Kagura's side of the table and admiring the weapon. The handheld part was made of shimmering golden metal, with its hilt being wrapped in some kind of silvery cloth. Its crossguard was somewhat bulky and intricately designed, resembling a cross between a star and a set of overlapping golden wings. The blade itself seemed to be made of a slice of the cosmos itself - a solid blade of starry heaven that looked like a portal to another world. It pulsed with faint bluish light as multicolored stars danced within its depths - Kagami felt like she could reach inside of it and pull one out.

It didn't take a magical prodigy to feel that this sword was charged with an incredible amount of energy. Kagami could feel a magical pressure emanating from it, similar to the one Kagura let off. In fact, it actually physically let off heat - Kagami waved her hand over the blade, and she could feel a warmth coming from within.

"I know what you're thinking. You're gonna ask what it's made of, right?" Kagura predicted, her guess affirmed by a nod from Kagami. "That's an easy answer - I actually don't know. Despite only appearing when I will it to, it's definitely solid, but for all intents and purposes, it's like one of the energy blades that the soldiers in more high-tech nations use - it cuts most things apart as if they weren't there, searing through them as if made of heat itself. Yet the weapon doesn't feel hot to the touch. If I had to guess, it's some kind of energetic super-material from a cosmic place beyond the reach of us mortals - the weapon _was_ a gift from the Celestial that empowered me, after all."

Kagami hesitantly touched the flat side of the blade, affirming that the glasslike surface was indeed only mildly warm. When she moved her fingers close to the edge out of curiosity, Kagura gently took her hand and moved it away. "Want to hold it?"

"You'd let me?"

"If anything bad happened, I'd be able to fix it."

Gratefully, Kagami took the weapon's hilt and lifted it up. To her utter shock, it was incredibly light - even with her frailty, she was able to lift it with one hand, although it still took two hands to keep it steady. As she experimentally swung it in a slow arc over the balcony, Kagura raised an eyebrow. "I swear that sword sometimes has a mind of its own - many enemies have tried to grab it, but it's always violently rebuked them. You seem to be able to hold it just fine, so it must trust you…no, it's because I trust you, right?"

Remembering that she was in Zenith, Kagami took a deep breath and tried the exercise that Kagura had taught her years ago - imagining herself in a sea of magic, letting the fluid aether flow into her body and imbue her with its weightlessness. Then, channeling it into the blade, Kagura's weapon responded to her command, letting out a small series of golden sparks from its tip."

"You were able to channel magic through it that quickly?" Kagura asked incredulously. "You really do have a talent for magic. You'd do really well up here."

"Thanks, Kagura." Kagami said gratefully, returning the sword to her before she inevitably destroyed something that she wasn't supposed to destroy. "Maybe one day."

With that, the two of them sat down and continued chatting. The flow of conversation topics was slowing, but they were still more than capable of idle chatter that they nonetheless found joy in. 

"Oh, Kagura, that reminds me." Kagami said suddenly. "Once we're done here, do you...want to play a game of some kind, like before?"

Kagura tilted her head. "A game? Thank you, but I'll have to decline. I don't really have the heart for such trivial matters anymore. Surely you also have more productive things to do..."

She faltered once she practically saw Kagami's heart shatter, feeling her own heart tighten in turn. "Ah...I see. I figured that a demigod princess might be the wrong person to ask for games anymore...I'm sorry for asking."

Kagura sighed. "...What game would you like to play?"

"Really? Oh, thank you! Well, let's see…"

Their game was less of a game and more of just frivolous playtime. Kagura had warped them in the middle of the tree-dotted beneath the cafe, casting a concealment spell over the entire area. Once they had been there, Kagami and Kagura - mostly the former - ran around, climbed some trees together, continued their chatter amidst the foliage, and overall just did what they pleased.

Kagura was a lot less enthusiastic than before, but she still made it clear that she wanted to entertain her friend. She even helped her practice some magic again - and Kagami was always enthusiastic to further test what she was capable of, now that she had a rare opportunity. Kagura knew that this was a little big against the rules, but she didn't really care. She still hated those restrictions against the common folk...and if anyone deserved this power, Kagami did.

_That's not very princess-like of me, is it?_

Kagami threw herself into her magic practice so eagerly that it honestly made Kagura a little concerned. She obviously hadn't improved since the last time - she never got to practice, after all - but she was making an effort to improve in the short time she had now. Kagura evaluated her and guided her every step of the way - while her conductivity to magic was abnormally high, her poor ability to store magic within herself was hampering her potential quite a bit. She had said it to her face - that without some kind of external storage of magic, she'd have a much harder time wielding it to its full potential. A part of Kagura was afraid that Kagami would take offense, but she had merely nodded and kept trying.

It didn't take long for an unfocused, untrained not-mage like Kagami to tire herself out. Sprawling herself out under a tree, the blonde girl yawned and stretched out. "Whew! That really took it out of me...I guess I'm nowhere near adept yet. How did I do?"

"All things considered, quite well." Kagura replied, sitting down beside her smaller friend. "Remember everything I told you - but also, don't push yourself too hard. Right then, you were really pushing your body to its limits...I want you to always do your best, but there's a certain wisdom in knowing when to stop, too. I don't want you to get hurt - and this doesn't just apply to magic."

Kagami just nodded, closing her eyes. She was clearly about to nod off.

The princess watched her for a few seconds. "...Kagami, is it not dirty to lie on the ground like that? There might even be bugs crawling around."

"Eh, I'm used to it. Besides, we always used to do this."

 _"I'm not who I was back then"_ was what Kagura wanted to say. However, she withheld her words for Kagami's happiness - instead, she shuffled into a more comfortable position and stretched out her legs, smoothing out her skirt. "Well, in the present time, I can't vouch for you getting so dirty like this. Please, use my lap to rest instead."

"K-Kagura?" Kagami squeaked in alarm, staring at her incredulously. "I don't need something like that! B-Besides, for someone like me to be using a demigod princess as a resting pillow is something...that just feels unnatural!"

"I promise you, I don't mind." Kagura gently assured her. "It'll definitely be more comfortable for you. And after all that activity you've just done, the more comfortably you rest, the better."

"But-"

"No buts." Kagura said sternly, physically lifting Kagami's head and plopping it onto her lap. "Please rest well."

Kagami was confused, surprised, and more than a little embarrassed, but something told her that Kagura wasn't about to take no for an answer. If anything, Kagura was right...this new resting spot was much more comfortable than the dirt.

_She really has changed a lot, huh? But at the same time...she's the same in many ways._

With the warmth and softness of her new position lulling her, Kagami was quick to fall asleep, snoring softly. Gazing down at her dear friend, Kagura couldn't help but raise a hand and gently pat Kagami on the head - upon which Kagami made an endearing noise, like a cross between a soft whine and a gentle laugh. She didn't want to tell Kagami this, but the Kagura of the past was more like a foggy memory at this point, the memories of their bond's forging and their times together like a blurry dream. Hell, she had nearly forgotten about her before Fulgurus' reminder...but now, after meeting her again, Kagura could affirm that her bond with Kagami felt just as strong now - whatever happened in the past was enough to permanently enshrine Kagami within Kagura's psyche. She was a warrior, a leader, a demigod - a war machine who ensured Lucia's prosperity by ruthlessly cutting down all who opposed her. Yet among all the people she had met, even including her parents and her trusted partner from Aether, the one who gave her the most emotions was none other than the tiny cursed girl resting in her lap. Joy, protectiveness, even the likes of worry...Kagami ignited those dying sparks in her normally robotic heart.

Kagura had nearly forgotten what those emotions had felt like. And now that she remembered, she was a little afraid - afraid that she'd lose her memory of those feelings. Her duties as the princess were only slated to grow, and the power coursing through her veins was more likely to seize her personality than relinquish it. It was a very real possibility that she'd not only become even more distant from her friend, but that she'd lose even more parts of the Kagura that Kagami adored. The prospect intimidated her...even more than the foes she fought against.

_I am the princess of Lucia. It is my duty to lead my people to greatness, and to ensure that Lucia knows only victory. But surely, surely I can protect one person's smile in the process, right? Is that too greedy of me…?_

Kagura couldn't answer that question. Nobody could. And she wasn't really sure if she wanted an answer, lest it break her heart. But for now, as Kagura continued stroking Kagami's hair and trying to comprehend the warmth in her heart, she was at the very least completely sure of what she wanted to do in the present.

_Let me protect this feeling, at least in this moment._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The battle with the Statican Empire dragged on for so long that I was seriously considering just cutting content. It was supposed to be much shorter (only consisting of the Fulgurus vs. Kagura battle), but I added more content to further build up the empire and give the side characters more moments.
> 
> Fulgurus himself could honestly do with an expanded backstory and more time in the limelight in general, but there just isn't any space in my plans for him. So I guess his character will be limited to this one chapter. Feels bad.
> 
> Just for fun references, I imagined Fulgurus' armor to resemble Obsidian Fury from _Pacific Rim: Uprising_ (which is the only thing I will acknowledge about that godawful excuse of a sequel), and Kagura's sword looks something like the Ark of the Cosmos from the _Calamity Mod_.


	6. Joy's Transience, Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Were they ready to say goodbye?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The shorter chapter is almost welcome after how long the last one was

Over the next two years, the times Kagura had visited Kagami could have been counted on one hand. The stories about Kagura's exploits were piling up - tales of how she defeated insurmountable foes, protected her people from disaster, and overall did the impossible. Kagura was no longer just the Lucian princess - she was a living legend, the god-warrior of Lucia that could accomplish just about anything in the name of her homeland. Even as Lucia's enemies grew more numerous, and Lurie's most powerful forces started surfacing, Kagura still managed to scrape by, overcoming all obstacles and helping her kingdom stay on top. However, in turn, she seemed to be too busy to visit Kagami anymore.

Kagami didn't hold it against her, though. She knew how seriously Kagura took royal duties, and understood that she needed to sacrifice some time together for her ideals. However, the thing that really concerned her was her behavior during the few times that she _did_ visit her - every visit, it was like her true self was drifting further and further away. Every time Kagura showed up, she was colder, more distant - merely checking up on Kagami's health and making sure she was in good condition before abruptly leaving. She seldom, if at all, asked about her happiness, or offered to relax and spend time with her. It was as if Kagura had become her supervisor, rather than a treasured friend like she always used to be.

"I visit you to pay my respects to an old friend to whom I owe much to." was the reply whenever Kagami plucked up the courage to ask her about it. "Is that so hard to understand?"

Kagami had absolute faith in Kagura, but even she was getting scared that she had possibly lost her one friend forever. If the "real" Kagura never returned, what did she have left in the world? Kagura was her sole source of true happiness, and Kagami wasn't sure if she could bear living without it.

_A world without you isn't a world I want to be in._

She remembered Kagura's plea two years ago. Kagami knew that her lack of solid values anchoring her to life wasn't healthy, but she couldn't help but latch onto the one source of happiness in her life. Had she even done anything for herself, or was everything she did actually for Kagura's sake? At this point, Kagami wasn't sure.

_I don't want you to survive - I want you to live!_

Those were the words Kagura had said to her, hands on her shoulders and desperate eyes seemingly ready to bore holes through her. Kagami needed to find meaning in her own life - if at least to satisfy that request. But she could tell that Kagura would never be happy unless Kagami truly found value in herself, rather than the values she gave to Kagura. 

In a twist of fate, however, Ivan and Elise were periodically showing up to check up on her. Now that Kagura was both older and far more powerful, they had a lot more spare time to do their own things. While they were no less aloof than Kagura, their company was still appreciated - they didn't hate her, at least. 

If anything, maybe Kagura's transformation was a test of her resolve - Kagami needed to find meaning in her life, or drift away from it entirely. That didn't stop Kagami from praying that the true Kagura would return one day, however - or that Kagura would eventually be crowned queen, destroy the barriers between the people, and give her a place by her side.

However, on a wet spring day where the sun tried its best to dry up the soaked earth, everything changed when Ivan and Elise brought her some devastating news.

Kagami had sat transfixed as Ivan delivered the news. "I'm going to keep it short. Kagura's performance using the power of the Celestials has been deemed exemplary by the Celestial that granted her that power in the first place. She's been chosen to ascend beyond humanity, beyond Earth - the Celestial is coming to whisk her away from this planet, and transform her into a Celestial herself."

As Kagami stayed silent, Elise elbowed him. "You didn't need to be so blunt. Poor girl's going to fold in on herself now."

Kagami was understandably having a hard time processing this. It was _far_ too much to be dumped on her at once. It was made worse by the fact that her mind was instinctively rejecting this news - refusing to believe something like this was possible. _This can't be happening! It just can't!_

Eventually, she managed to choke out a sound. "S-So she's becoming a Celestial - as in an immortal super-powerful deity? She's leaving this world to do Celestial things?"

A nod from Ivan.

Kagami gulped. "Will she ever come back?"

Elise sighed. "I...I wish I could say yes for sure...but I really don't know."

"Is she...leaving forever?"

Ivan pursed his lips, and Elise winced. That was an answer in itself.

It was two seconds before the first tears started silently running down Kagami's face. She had just started getting more accustomed to Kagura not being a part of her everyday life anymore...but this was too much. 

_She could be leaving forever?_

How long was forever?

Longer than breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Longer than any errand. Longer than the frigid winter or the scorching summer. Longer than a war between nations. Longer than the span of a human life. 

Forever was longer than anything Kagami had ever experienced, or would ever experience.

Kagura...was leaving forever.

The thought was painful, so agonizingly painful - definitely more than any instance of physical agony she had felt. Kagami couldn't help but fall to her knees, hugging herself as tightly as possible. Yet as much as she wanted to scream, to cry, to proclaim her despair to the cruel world, no such sounds came out. Only quiet, choking whimpers as the tears kept running down her face with no end.

Ivan and Elise stood uncomfortably as they watched Kagami sob quietly. They wanted to offer any kind of reassurance, but they felt sorely out of their depth - what Kagami was feeling at the moment was something they could likely never come close to fully comprehending. She had already gotten just about everything taken from her, and now her final light had been snuffed out.

But even in this situation, Kagami's spirit refused to be extinguished. Her despair was slowly being replaced by something else - she didn't know if it was hope, resolve, or something that she couldn't identify. _How can I be so selfish? Kagura's her own person, with her own ideals. She might have changed, but she still chose this on her own - the royals would have no reason to force her into this, since they'd be losing her power as a result. If anyone coerced her, it was the Celestial...but I still trust that she made the decision with her own two hands._

So, she wiped her tears...and managed the faintest of smiles. "That...that's incredible. Surely she's one of the only ones, if not _the_ only one to have received such a huge honor. Kagura...is going somewhere that nobody else could have managed...that's Kagura for you...such an incredible person deserves this kind of honor…"

Both Ivan and Elise could _clearly_ tell that Kagami was still in intense emotional pain, but they didn't want to cut away the last remnants of positivity she was clinging to.

Kagami finished wiping her tears as she looked up at the Lucian knights. "I'll be sad to see her go...but I still have faith in her. I believe...that despite everything, she'll still remember me. Even as a Celestial, she'll still visit me...surely she will!"

Elise sighed. "I can assure you that you were as huge a part of Kagura's life as she was a part of yours. For both of your sakes, I hope that you never forget each other. And I, too, have faith that this bond you've forged is unbreakable."

Kagami stood up. "I really hope so. I don't know what to do if I'm wrong…"

Looking around, she collected her thoughts and decided that as uncertain as everything was now, there was something that she absolutely needed to do. "When is Kagura scheduled to ascend?"

"...Tomorrow." Ivan muttered. "Sorry for letting you know on such short notice. We got saddled with a bunch of urgent work because of the event."

The urgency shocked Kagami, but she nodded nonetheless. "Okay. Then I need to go see her...one last time. Can you help me with that?"

Elise hesitated, then nodded. "I understand. It doesn't seem possible today, but perhaps if we are careful enough, we could sneak you into the ceremony tomorrow. You might be able to blend in with the crowd. Of course, it's a risky gamble...I'm not sure if we can even manage such a thing…"

"Please." Kagami pleaded, clasping her hands together and lowering her head. "I...I need to do this."

The look in Kagami's eyes was less of a look of desperation, and more of a look of a furious soul that wouldn't take no for an answer. In response, Ivan and Elise couldn't help but nod - they had seen how much happiness those two kids had brought each other, so it was only fair that they'd do what they could to give them one final farewell.

The next day, the Lucian retainers sprung their admittedly half-baked plan. Grabbing a traveller's cloak that they found lying around, they took a carriage to Stonewell to pick up the commoner. When Kagami complained that the cloak was far too obvious to work, Ivan just said that he knew as he picked her up and dropped her into an empty barrel in the back of the cart.

"We'll just have to try and get you into Zenith like this." he had said simply. "Once you're there, we'll watch over you as you make your way to the ceremony. It'll be damn crowded, but we'll see if we can help you find a good place to look from. The guards should be too preoccupied to bother you too much - if you don't do anything _too_ suspicious, that is."

Elise frowned. "Jeez, Ivan, in a barrel? She's not some kind of merchandise!"

Ivan shrugged. "Eh, if it works, it works. Honestly, I'm not in a mood to think of something elaborate."

His partner sighed. "Honestly, neither am I."

However, Kagami didn't mind. It was a dry barrel, so it honestly didn't feel _too_ bad. She was content to just sit within the barrel as the knights set off towards Zenith.

Kagami hadn't bothered to give herself any openings to look out of, so she closed her eyes and somewhat dozed off as the movements of the cart seemingly tried to rock her to sleep. However, her mind was in overdrive, thinking of what she should do or say once they made it. This might be the last time she'd ever see Kagura...so she absolutely, _absolutely had_ to say something meaningful.

She heard a muffled voice speak from outside. "Welcome back, knights. I presume you've come back to watch the princess' ascension?"

Ivan's voice replied gruffly. "Yeah. We couldn't miss it, could we?"

"Mhm. You two must have a lot of free time now...can't imagine it. And with the princess gone, your duties have diminished a whole lot, huh?"

A different voice spoke up. "It's still so unreal that something so crazy is happening. You bunch weren't there for it, but the rulers and the nobles actually threw a metaphorical hissy fit when the news first arrived. The princess has brought us so much victory and glory over these years, it's gonna be a real pain to lose her. The generals say that our position in Lurie may be threatened as a result...and of course, Lucia's losing its heiress. They don't really know what to do right now, last time I checked. But whatever arguments they made were silenced quickly since that Celestial insisted - they really wanted Kagura to join their ranks. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't even think of opposing a being of their caliber. Not even Kagura could refuse this offer at this point."

"True." Elise admitted. "Really, what other choice did anyone have?"

After some idle chatter and more movement, Kagami felt the barrel she was in get lifted and carried away. However, one of the voices from before spoke up. "Ivan? What's that?"

 _Uh oh._ Kagami thought, sweating as she tried to keep her breathing shallow. However, Ivan reacted fast. "Oh, this? A pal of mine wanted some potatoes, so I went down to Stonewell to go grab a bunch. That place gets a bad rep, but it really ain't as bad as you all say."

 _So I'm a bunch of potatoes now…_ Kagami thought to herself. Honestly, the thought was so silly to her that she could barely resist giggling despite herself. _Kagura would have laughed too..._

"Eh, each to their own, I guess." the voice said again. "Come here, I'll help you."

"Nope. I'm good." Ivan replied swiftly. "I've got Elise too."

"...Alright. I'll see you around, sir."

Kagami stifled her breath of relief as she was carried even further away. After what seemed like an eternity, she felt a bump as the barrel was put down. The commoner shielded her eyes as Ivan removed the lid and let light stream into the top of the barrel, before hoisting her up by her arms. "Up you go, kid. We got you as close to the ceremony as we could manage - it's all on you now. Don't screw up."

Kagami bowed in thanks as she got her bearings. The retainers had dropped her off in one of Zenith's side alleys, which linked to a main street. Even staring out of the narrow exit, she could tell that the road was jam-packed with citizens eager to watch their princess fully transcend humanity.

Pulling her cloak as tightly over her head and body as possible, Kagami started searching for openings in the crowd. As a cursed, malnourished child, everyone towered over her, meaning that she had to get some kind of vantage point. And thinking of squeezing into the crowd triggered alarms within Kagami's brain - if she wasn't found out and forcefully thrown out, the pressure from the pushing and pulling might result in the end of her.

She had one option left, which was to find a vantage point far back and pray that she'd be seen by Kagura, but not by the crowd. It had worked last time, and Kagami was willing to give it another shot.

Looking up at the rooftops towering above her, Kagami's mind raced. Noticing the network of pipes snaking up the wall of the building beside her, Kagami leapt at it and grabbed on, ignoring the biting cold of the metal seeping through her skin. As she tried to pull herself up by digging her boots into crannies within the walls, she managed to grab another handhold...which her hand promptly slipped away from, sending her crashing back to the ground.

Hurt but not out, Kagami grit her teeth and tried again. This time, she got two pipes above her previous record before slipping and plummeting back down, the increased height making the fall hurt even more. Trying a third time, Kagami gripped the pipes as tightly as she could and pulled herself up even higher - only for her heart to sink as she heard the clamor of the crowd almost double in intensity.

_I'm running out of time! I...need...to get up there…_

Her boots pressed into the slippery metal pipes as she tried to get as good as a foothold as she could. She saw a fenced balcony that seemed to be empty, but she'd have to make a small jump for it. Glancing down despite her better judgement, Kagami gulped - it wouldn't be a fatal drop, but it would _hurt._

Kagami took the leap - grabbing onto the metal bars and sliding down to the bottom. However, hanging from the fence like this, she no longer had any footholds to grab - and her grip alone was not strong enough to keep her aloft for very long, much less pull herself up. Legs flailing around in the air, Kagami let out a whine as she tried to wedge her arms between the bars to get a better grip.

Ivan and Elise wanted to run in and help her with magic, but they had already spotted sentries stationed within the crowd. These soldiers had been trained to observe all magical discharges within a huge radius, making sure no funny business happened - using spells to help Kagami would run a large risk of being detected.

However, Kagami grit her teeth and mustered up whatever arm strength she had. Briefly pulling with both hands, releasing one hand, and grabbing the fence a little higher up before she fell back down, she "hopped" a little, moving ever so slightly upwards. Then, she did it again, with the other hand. Again, and again, and again. Centimeter by centimeter, she inched her way up the fence, sliding her fingers into gaps within the ornate filigree to stop her from falling back down. Wincing at the pain of the metal carving digging into her fingertips, Kagami panted as she continued working her way upwards - eventually reaching a point where she could swing her feet around and get a proper foothold on the balcony's outer edge.

Swallowing and taking a deep breath, Kagami gazed upon the crowd from her new vantage point. It wasn't particularly high up, but it was high enough that she was distinct from the rest of the crowd. Shaking her head, she tried to shift the oversized hood of her cloak out of her eyes so that she could see better - but suddenly, the commotion from the crowd reached a fever pitch.

Kagami choked once she saw a glowing figure slowly start rising up from the middle of the crowd. Squinting at the bright light as if she were looking at the sun, her heart dropped like a stone when her worst fears were confirmed. The figure was none other than Kagura, enveloped in a dazzlingly bright gold halo and waving to the crowd as she rose into the sky. And once Kagura flew past the mountain summit, soared above the highest clouds, and breached the atmosphere of this harsh world...she would never return.

Kagami was too late.

Desperation seized her body as Kagami instinctively did the one thing she wasn't supposed to do. Shaking her head vigorously enough for her hood to fly off and expose her entire face, she screamed out as loud as she could, with the broken yet unrestrained voice of a person that knew they only had one chance. 

_"Kagura!!!"_

Ivan and Elise flinched at the scream - they could easily feel the sheer despair contained within Kagami's furious wail. Despite her outburst, her voice was consumed by the cries of the crowds beneath her, a ripple caught in a turbulent ocean of sound waves.

But somehow, Kagura noticed - and she saw her. Glancing at Kagami as she soared into the sky, the look on her face shattered the cursed youth. The princess wore an expression beyond mere sadness, or even deep despair.

It was a look of tired, sorrowful resignation. A look of defeat - no, of _heartbreak._

And without so much as a farewell, Kagura vanished into the clouds.

For a second, it was like all sensation had vanished from the world. Kagami's vision seemed to fade into a mess of monochrome static, and the din of the crowd had been diluted to a muffled roar. Even as her grip slackened, sending her plummeting to the cobblestones with a harsh thump, she barely noticed the pain, nor did she feel the warm tears starting to run down her cheek.

_...She didn't even stop. She barely even noticed me…_

Kagami may as well have gotten the earth ruptured beneath her feet. She had just been coming to terms with Kagura's departure, and was slowly convincing herself that it was a huge privilege for Kagura to do such a thing. The fact that Kagura hadn't even so much as said goodbye, however, was a different story altogether. A part of Kagami wanted to believe Kagura just didn't have enough time to say goodbye without causing a scene, but the fact that Kagura had barely even acknowledged her during the ascension had broken something inside of Kagami.

_Is that it? Have I lost my meaning to her too? Am I...really that worthless?_

But Kagura's face when she had ascended had made Kagami's heart tighten even more - it was like she had suddenly realized that she had made a terrible mistake, yet knew it was too late to regret it. Unable to regret the decision, she had just accepted it...Kagura looked like she had given up, somehow. Or was that just Kagami being conceited? _Am I really that important to her?_

But she had to face the reality of the situation. The one person who cared about her was gone. Whether Kagura actually cared about her or not was now in question. She hadn't been able to say any meaningful final words to her. Kagami was alone in a dark world, faced with a dismal life where nobody cared about her. And Kagami was lying face-up on the ground like a dead fish - at this point, she may as well have been actually dead.

However, to her surprise, someone grabbed her arm and _helped her up._ "Up you go."

_Who…?_

Her surprise quickly turned to alarm when the mysterious figure's grip tightened. With alarming speed, they yanked her along with them, dragging her further into the alleyways between the houses.

Kagami retained enough mental capacity to try and scream in alarm, but the figure clapped a hand over her mouth. "Shhh! Don't make a sound!"

Her cry of protest was muffled by the gloved hand tightly pressed onto her face. At this point, she was almost certain she was somehow being kidnapped, but she didn't really have an intention of screaming for help anyways. If others saw her being stolen away in broad daylight, they probably wouldn't even bat an eye.

So, she stayed silent and futilely tried to repeatedly elbow her kidnapper in a bid for escape. However, the figure didn't even register her attacks as they dragged her further into the alleyways. As the sound of the crowd became increasingly hollow, they eventually reached a point where they were totally isolated. Only then did the figure release Kagami.

Kagami coughed and instinctively tensed up as the strange person backed away from her. "W-Who are you? What do you want from me?"

In response, they sighed. "I suspected that you would find some way to avoid missing Kagura's ascension, but to find you here is another thing altogether. You've got some guts showing up in Zenith, considering how the Lucians treat you commoners."

"You...aren't Lucian? Do you...know me?"

Kagami trailed off as she stared at the figure, able to get a good look at them now that they weren't dragging her into a dark alley. They were a tall young man dressed in clothing that looked like a military uniform - a black trench coat, dark cargo pants, and black boots that struck a balance between formal and all-terrain. His face was stern yet somewhat handsome, with a cleanly shaved stubble along with deep brown eyes that would have looked black if Kagami had been any less observant. A black fedora sat atop his short yet neat brown hair, and what looked like a myriad of holstered weapons hung from his belt.

As Kagami craned her neck and stared up at him, the young man seemed to struggle with something, squinting down at her. He closed his eyes, shook his head a few times, and rubbed his forehead like something was bothering him. Then, he looked back at Kagami and tried for a smile. "I do know you...kind of. The name's Damian."

It took Kagami for a few seconds to process it before she gasped in surprise. "Wait, what? You're _the_ Damian? The one from Aether? Kagura's betrothed?"

Kagami got a quizzical frown as a response. "Not sure what the _"the"_ was for, but you're right. Pretty sure Kagura told you about me, considering how much she trusts you."

"...You're not hostile to me. You seem calm, somehow?"

Damian winced. "Kagura told me about your curse. It's a real piece of work, huh? Even when I saw you from the crowd, I felt something deep inside me...like a physical pressure grabbing me, whispering in my ear. It's as if an evil spirit tries to seize me, urging me to ignore you, scorn you even...I'll admit, my first instinct was to just leave you there on the ground and run along."

Kagami frowned. "Then why didn't you? Nobody's just...been friendly to me on sight!"

"Well...to put it in simple terms, I'm a big fan of yours."

"...You're joking."

Damian's eyes had nothing but seriousness in them, and some kind of...awestruck respect? "I'm not. I've talked to Kagura so many times over the last few years...and a good chunk of those times, she'd talk about you. She'd go on for ages about how great you were, and how much you'd given her over the time you'd known each other. You must have been the greatest person in the whole world to her...I understand that Kagura would get along with anyone that accepted her, but that doesn't detract from how wonderful of a human being you must have been. I know for a fact that you aren't just a lowly commoner like how all the Lucians must see you...rather, I see you as a great person, and an exemplary friend."

"Kagura must've really embellished the details, huh?" Kagami muttered in awe. "Wait, what did she even tell you about me?"

"When I asked her about you for the first time, she said that you were tiny, unassuming, and so frail that you looked like you'd shatter if so much as stricken once. But she also told me that you had hair as gold as the sun and eyes like oceanic vistas - telling me that they were mere glimpses of an immeasurable virtue contained within, one that couldn't be expressed by your appearance alone."

"Definitely embellishing…" Kagami almost laughed.

Damian shook his head. "That wasn't it, though. Over the years, she'd recount everything you two did together. She eagerly told me about all the fun times you had together, and all the times they made her feel that life was truly precious. She'd tell me about all the pain you've been through, and how you did your best to make her smile despite all of it. She told me about how selfless you were, and how much she wanted you to care about yourself rather than others. And above all, she told me that you were someone that would never, _ever_ give up on a dream. Put those together, and...well, I respect you a great deal. I guess it's because of the curse that you turned out this way...but if you were rid of it right now, you would easily be the kind of person that everyone would love."

Kagami was stunned. "Well...uh, thanks, I guess?"

The young man shook his head. "Don't thank me. You've got nobody to thank but yourself. If you hadn't been so kind to Kagura, then I wouldn't know that you were so outstanding, and I would have...ugh, I don't want to think about it."

"Well, Kagura told me a lot about you, too." Kagami added. "She was really fond of you...went on about how you were an amazing human being. From the sound of things, you made her very happy too...thanks for that."

"You're thanking me again? She's a great person! Seeing her happy is something that any decent human being should want."

Kagami was about to point out that his assertion would make most Lucians no longer qualify as decent human beings, but she held her tongue. "While you're here, you were Kagura's betrothed, right? You two seemed friendly, but did you...actually like her? As in... _like_ like her? And what about her?"

"Asking the hard questions, huh?" Damian sighed, taking off his fedora and wringing it in his hands. "Well...I'm sure you get that it wasn't very simple. Both of us knew that us being pushed together was at least partially at the behest of the aristocrats from both our kingdoms. But we had become friends even before that...and for what it was worth, we shared a close bond and grew closer nonetheless. Beneath her dutiful persona and all her insecurities, she really is a charming young lady...and if I'm being honest, I grew to truly imagine spending the rest of my life with her. I don't know if she reciprocated that kind of thinking, but she definitely trusted me enough to confide in me."

"Sounds like your feelings were genuine then." Kagami noted. "Kagura's change must've hit you hard as well, huh?"

"I guess…" Damian replied, voice laced with uncertainty. "Whatever power she took into herself wasn't made to be instantly compatible with a human body. I'm from Aether, so I've never been too adept with this magic stuff. But the fact was that her personality was changing...is it a stretch that I think that Celestial was actually taking her over for themselves? But anyways, she became a totally different person - the Kagura of the past vanished alarmingly fast. We remained cohorts, but she grew more distant from everyone - myself included. I guess that would have been the end of my dreaming...if I hadn't already given up on it before then."

"Given up on it? And why is that?"

Damian winced. "Given up is a bit of a harsh way to describe it, but I came to a revelation one day. If I was to eventually accept this betrothal, I had to make sure I was up to the task. I'm sure you get that something like this is something that you don't really get a second chance for. So I thought about it...was I the one that Kagura would be most happy with? But after hearing countless stories about how much you cared about her, and how much she cared about you...I realized that no matter what happened, I'd likely never be able to create a bond with Kagura stronger than yours."

Kagami slowly processed his words. "Wait, so you're saying-"

"Given only one choice, Kagura would have definitely wanted to spend the rest of her life with you than with me." Damian assured her. "There's no way that I could give her as much as you had. I hope you realize that you meant the world to her...and I bet you still do, despite everything."

"...Sorry."

"Don't apologize!" Damian snapped. "If anything, it made me happy that she had such a wonderful companion as yourself. Very few can forge a bond as solid as the one Kagura shares with you...it makes me respect you more, if anything."

Kagami was silent, so Damian went on. "I grew hesitant if I truly wanted to go further, or just stay as a trusted confidant. But none of that matters now, does it? It wasn't long before she became a vessel and started changing - and now, she's gone altogether. I can't blame her...being called to ascend to the plane of the divine is an honor that simply can't be competed with. Besides, considering my position in Aether's hierarchy, I have a future of my own to worry about...as do you."

The commoner scoffed. "Future? You may have an illustrious future ahead of you, but not so much for me. I'm at the bottom of a society that treats the bottom dwellers like dirt, and cursed to bear hate that I don't deserve. I really, really want to find a future for myself...but what can I do?"

"Well, you see, that's what I'm here for." Damian replied. "I wasn't here to say hello to you. Before she ascended, Kagura entrusted me with a specific task. She figured that we'd meet eventually - she was right when she said that you'd definitely try and find a way to see her ascension. So she gave me a few things and told me to deliver them to you - so here they are."

The young man hopped onto a barrel, rested his legs on another barrel, and patted what looked like a piece of luggage beside him - Kagami had been so preoccupied that she hadn't even noticed that he had been carrying it around the entire time. "E-Eh? Kagura wanted to...give me things?"

"A farewell present, I guess?" Damian replied offhandedly, pulling a neatly folded sheet of paper from out of his jacket pocket. Unfolding it, he perused the document. "There seem to be three items of interest. Open it up and I'll see if I can explain."

Hesitantly, Kagami opened the case. She took out the first one - a black container that looked like a cross between a duffel bag and a briefcase. Gently prying it open, she gasped as she saw what looked like countless glittering sparkles within.

Reaching in and taking one out, Kagami saw that they were small crystalline objects that seemed to refract light in a way that made them shimmer with iridescent radiance. As she gazed at it curiously, Damian's eyes widened in surprise. "Holy...where did she get those from? They must've come from the castle vault, or something…"

"What are they?" Kagami asked.

Damian read the note. "What they are doesn't seem to matter. What _does_ matter is that Kagura said they're worth a lot in just about every civilization she's visited. Lemme look at this...what does this say? She said that it's a gift to jump-start your future...she could only scrounge up so many, but she also said that she's sure that you know how to manage resources properly."

Kagami's head was starting to spin. These were valuables? If they were, then she understood what Kagura was trying to do. Even if she left the segregation of Lucia, it didn't change the fact that she was a borderline penniless village girl - but if she sold these gems and used them in a tactical manner, she could use the wealth to subvert her poverty and rise through the world.

_She...really wanted to see me succeed by myself…_

The second object was a somewhat haphazardly folded azure cloth, adorned with silver trim. Touching it, Kagami was astounded - it was a material that she had no idea about - one that felt almost unnaturally smooth, warm, and soft. When Kagami lifted it, she and Damian gasped in unison as it unfolded, revealing it to be a mystifying cape of sorts. Instead of more cloth, the cape's interior was a kaleidoscope of glittering stars. The motes of light shone from within the fabric and seemingly moved by themselves - it seemed less like a solid material, and more like a portal into the vast realms of cosmic phenomena and celestial brilliance.

In shock, Kagami hesitantly tried it on - finding that it fit around her body remarkably well, as if attuning to her. In addition, the moment she wrapped it around herself, she felt a reassuring warmth envelop her - almost as if some kind of faint power were seeping into her skin.

"That's...well, a cape, and a really impressive one." Damian explained, although he couldn't hide his surprise at how magnificent it was. "It says here that Kagura figured that you had a thing for capes...did you tell her this at some point?"

"...Once or twice."

"Well, she remembered. Anyways, that thing was apparently created using Kagura's powers as a Celestial vessel. It should fit you, keep you comfy...and it _does_ look really cool. She said that it's also enchanted to simulate a bit of her presence, so to speak...storing memories? What is all of this? Seems like it's got a lot more going on than meets the eye. Oh, and it says it's infused with her presence...? Aww, that's sweet of her, to always let you know that she's still here. And it even stores magic, so you might be able to use it to channel rudimentary magical powers...Kagami? You alright?"

Tears ran down Kagami's cheeks as she sobbed quietly to herself. She was about to wipe her tears on the cape, but she scrunched up the collar of her tunic and used that as a handkerchief instead. "It's so beautiful...it's too much. Can I really accept any of this? Do I deserve to receive these wonderful gifts?"

"Kagura sure thought so." Damian replied. "And she knows you better than anyone."

Sniffling, Kagami's fingers grasped at the third item. It was a series of papers, hastily folded up and stuffed in a somewhat messy envelope. Despite the visible creasing on the envelope, its ornate design betrayed its lofty origins.

"That one...I'm not so sure about." Damian admitted. "This paper doesn't say much about it either besides that it's a final letter from Kagura. She forbade me from looking at it, but I remember when it was written...Kagura was in a frightful state."

"Frightful?"

"One night, a few days before her ascension, she woke up and immediately ran to her study. I was awake getting a glass of water, and ended up bumping into her. There was something off about her - she seemed frantic and weirdly lucid, muttering about how she needed to write a letter to you. This was long after she had become a vessel, so to see her behaving in such a way was alarming. It was almost as if all the changes she had undergone in the last years had become undone, if only for a little bit - in that moment, she behaved very much like the nervous girl she was before."

Kagami looked up at him in shock. "So you're saying...that her old personality might have resurfaced in that moment?"

Damian shrugged. "Hell if I know. It's best you read that letter and find out. It's not my place to read it...judging from what she said to me, that letter is for your eyes only."

Hesitantly, Kagami pried open the envelope, smoothed out the papers, and started to read Kagura's final letter to her.

_Dearest Kagami,_

_By the time you see this letter, it might be too late. But I need to write all of this now while I still have the chance, before my thoughts lose themselves again._

_I feel like saying that I understand what you're going through would be an insult at this point. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that nobody could truly understand what you've gone through by now. And as grateful as I am to you for everything you've done over all these years, I find myself unable to do anything about it now. I'm sorry for losing myself so much over these years...but now, it's too late. I can't stop any of this anymore. Nobody can. I hope my apology is enough for you, but it sure isn't enough for me._

_I'm leaving for a place where none can follow...but I can't just leave you without any kind of farewell. And not only that, I needed to give you something, anything to help you face down the troubles that you'll surely encounter in your future. But above all, I needed to formally thank you for everything._

_Words alone can't express how grateful I am to you. You had already lost so much, yet you'd never stop offering more. No matter how much you gave me, you'd always keep trying to make me happy...and you truly were the only one who was able to see past my status as the princess. Curse or no curse, you stayed by my side through thick and thin...and the amount of happiness you've brought me is an immeasurable thing that you should be very, very proud of. Blessed with such a wonderful companion, I can only hope that I brought you as much happiness as well…_

Kagami gripped the letter tightly as she blinked the tears out of her eyes. _More. You brought me way more! You gave me more happiness than I could ever imagine!_

_...You should have wound up as the opposite of your caring self. Hated by all, your heart should have become bitter and blackened, especially towards someone who inadvertently caused your problems. But you never lost your humanity. Even though your waking moments were filled with misery, that didn't stop you from becoming my dearest companion...the one I could always count on, and the one I could always turn towards in times of darkness._

_But things are what they are right now, and I can't stay with you. It breaks my heart to leave you too, but I beg of you, let me make a final, selfish wish._

_I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but please, please go on and live for yourself! I've seen what you're capable of, and what you've already done to succeed in spite of your overwhelming disadvantages. I could only do so much without raising too much suspicion, but I hope that the gifts enclosed will help you overcome those disadvantages even more._

_You told me at one point that you wanted to become an adventuring mercenary, right? Well, I'm afraid that your dream has little hope of becoming reality in Lucia. That's why I'm sure you've figured out at this point - you need to leave Lucia. I'm not sure how long the gems I enclosed will last you, but they should be worth more than enough to get you out of this kingdom and sustain your life in Lurie. Once you're out there, it's all up to you. I have faith that you'll be able to achieve whatever you desire, because that's just the kind of person you are. Strong, determined, and never wavering, you're the type that has the power to truly take your dreams and turn them into reality._

_As for the cape...it was a hasty decision. I put a bit of my Celestial power into its creation, so it's not just an ordinary cape. First of all, it stores some magic, so you should be able to use it to perform rudimentary spells...but you still need to find someone to teach you, since truly powerful magic can't really be self-taught. Secondly, if I did this right, it should...kind of be imbued with my presence? I hope that it alleviates any feelings of loneliness...don't worry, I didn't actually put a bit of my soul into it or anything, hehe._

_The third function, I'm not sure about how well it works. I tried to enchant it in a way that it could store memories...almost like a magical video recorder, but a little more complicated. I'm not exactly sure how you could use it, but I'm sure you'll find a way. Maybe you can share some memories with me some time?_

_Make no mistake, your curse puts you at a disadvantage. And I'm sure that wherever your journey takes you, you'll encounter hardship after hardship. After all, this world's unforgiving, and even brilliant lights will cease to burn. But despite all your weaknesses, you've got just as many strengths within your heart and mind, even if you never acknowledge them._

_Go out into the world. Rise above all the challenges it offers. And one day, you'll not only be able to find beauty in this harsh land, but within yourself as well. You might not be destined for greatness, but that doesn't mean it's out of your reach. Please, defy the odds and rise through this world...I believe in you!_

Kagami didn't know what to say anymore.

_...I can feel whatever surge of lucidity that has seized me slipping away rapidly. I'm not sure if I'll retain this state of mind for much longer...but I've said basically everything I need to say. I'm sad to leave, and I wish we had more time together, but I'll still deeply treasure the memories we made together...they're worth more than anything else I possess, material or immaterial. Thank you for everything...wherever I end up, I'll be praying for your success, and praying harder that I'll be able to return to you despite the duty Celestials seem to be saddled with. But before my mind is lost again, I need to say this. Kagami, I..._

An utterly flabbergasted Kagami retained enough mental capacity to frown slightly at the next part. In contrast to the neat handwriting of the last parts, the next line and a half were all various illegible words that were messily scribbled out with ink. Kagami couldn't make out any of them, but she could tell that Kagura had tried to use many different words to convey her message.

Then she actually read the final section, and her heart skipped a beat.

_...I cherish you. If I had the choice, know that I would have stayed together with you in this world. I wanted nothing more than to stay by your side and experience happiness, side by side until the end of time. Please, never forget me, because I'll never forget you. And I promise that I will come back for you one day._

_Until then, whenever you feel down, look up at the sky and please remember that someone out there treasures you more than anything._

_With utmost gratitude,_

_Kagura_

"...Kagami?" Damian asked, waving his hand in front of her face. "You good?"

Kagami blinked. The last few minutes had been like a trance to her - only now did she become aware of sensations once again, like the feeling of a faint breeze drying the tears on her face.

"Kid, you alright?" Damian repeated. "You've kind of been...spaced out crying for the last few minutes. Must've been a hell of a letter."

Kagami sniffed and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "...You could say that. I...I don't know what to say anymore."

"If it isn't too much, mind if I read it?"

To his surprise, Kagami handed him the letter. As Damian perused the document, Kagami took a deep breath and sighed. "There's just so much...it makes me so happy that I was able to give Kagura so much that she'd be this thankful. But now, I've been tasked with something that's going to be incredibly hard...but for Kagura, and for myself, I need to do this!"

"...What's this part at the bottom?" Damian asked, pointing at the mess of scrawled text.

"...I don't know." Kagami whispered quietly. "It's all so confusing. She said she wanted to...stay with me until the end of time..."

"Oh, that's simple. Pretty sure Kagura loves you."

Kagami did a double take. "What? L-Love? Huh?"

Damian shrugged and assumed a more proper sitting position that wasn't sprawled out. "Think about it. You mean more than anything to her, and if she was given the choice, she'd stay with you forever. She cares about you, wants to see you happy and healthy...the list goes on. And if I had to take a shot, the level of affection she shows regarding you is a little bit above just friendship. I'm sure it's the same for you, right?"

Kagami looked up at him. "I don't know. What...is love?"

"Now you're asking the really hard questions." came the sighed response. "There's a whole branch of psychology regarding that...and to be honest, I don't know if we'll ever find out. I can't really explain it either...what do you think love is?"

The girl racked her brain, heartbeat accelerating. "Love...is caring about someone. Being warm, gentle and affectionate. Sharing everything, whether it be happiness or despair. Giving someone a warm hug when they're feeling down. Wanting to see someone smiling and well. Always giving someone your best. Sacrificing for someone. Cherishing, comforting, adoring..."

Without her even consciously thinking about it, the contents of Kagami's heart were spilling out - and her sentences were losing form, cohesion replaced by emotion. As she continued going on, Damian nodded. "That's fair. There are no wrong answers - that's the curious thing about emotions. Now tell me, Kagami...what do you feel towards Kagura?"

"...I feel...all of that. And I've...done most of that..."

"Then you love her too. It's that easy."

"H-Huh?"

Damian offered a smile. "You said it yourself. You defined your idea of love, and it matches what you feel towards Kagura. I feel like Kagura would have said something similar too - hence why I'm sure her feelings are mutual. Honestly, I think you two have loved each other for some time - you've just gotten old enough to realize it."

Kagami's heart was beating so fast she felt it'd burst at any moment. "I...I...love Kagura? Really?"

"That's no way to be. If you really think you feel that way, affirm it!"

"...I...love Kagura."

The moment the words left Kagami's lips, she felt as if they had activated a magic spell. Suddenly, it all became so clear. Those inexplicable feelings that had burst forth from her heart as she and Kagura lived life together…the warm, tingling fire that burned whenever they accompanied each other through smiles and tears...

_That's...what love feels like?_

"It's a little too late now, but better late than never, right?" Damian quipped. "For your sake, I hope Kagura comes back soon...then you can tell her how you feel."

However, Kagami ignored his words, packed her gifts back into the bag beside her and stood up. For a second, Damian felt a sort of awe - it was like Kagami's eyes had tangible sparks within them, almost as if her determination had consolidated and taken physical form.

"Thank you, Damian." Kagami said simply, her voice hoarse but firm. "I know what I must do now. Until she returns...I must push onwards. With Kagura's final blessing...I'll stand against this world, that's taken so much from me. No...I won't stand against it...I'll climb above it!"

The curse whispered in his ear again, but Damian pushed it aside and smiled. "That's the spirit - knock 'em out, kid. Honestly, I might never see you again after this, so I'll just hope you're doing as well as Kagura says you will."

A voice from behind them spoke up. "Are you two done yet?"

Turning around, Damian choked in surprise at the sight of Ivan and Elise. "How long have you been standing there? Could've said something, you know?"

"Well, Kagami looked like she was having a moment." Elise replied shrewdly.

A sigh from the heir of Aether. "Fair enough. I trust that you'll be taking her back safely? I've got to head somewhere in...uh, twenty minutes?"

"We'll take care of it." Ivan assured him.

"Alright then." Damian said curtly, donning his fedora once again and turning to leave - but not before shooting Kagami one more glance. "It was a pleasure to finally meet you. I'll be rooting for you, kid."

And with that, he vanished into the crowd.

An hour later, Kagami sat at her sanctuary in Stonewell, gathering her thoughts. A piece of paper and a pencil were gripped in her hands as she brainstormed, thinking of everything she had to do - or more specifically, prepare.

Her course of action was clear. She was seventeen now, with eighteen being the age to be considered an adult - and therefore, no longer under the jurisdiction of the village. That gave her one year to prepare everything she needed before taking the leap, and leaving Lucia to seek her future. Once she was out there, she didn't know exactly what to do. Her goal was to find something that could make her stronger - hopefully a magic school that would take her - but her knowledge of Lurie's geography was limited.

She knew that it'd be hard. She had already read everything she could, but books documenting the lands of Lurie that _weren't_ under Lucian control were limited. By leaving Lucia, she'd be entering an unfamiliar world where what little support she had would vanish entirely. She'd only be able to rely on herself - and if she wasn't good enough, then there was a high chance she'd kick the bucket altogether.

But it was the only option for her. Kagura's letter was right - chasing dreams had no place in Lucia. She had to leave, to grow, to live by and for herself. Kagura had given her a head start and her blessing - both had caused Kagami's tenacious spirit to burst forth, making her feel that she would be able to overcome anything.

Yet there was still a year to prepare - and Kagami had every intention to use that year to its fullest. Resting a hand on the bag containing Kagura's final gifts, Kagami's gaze shifted to the flower growing by the cliffside. Its partner, which had supported it for so long, had finally vanished, maybe even withered - but the striking violet flower stood nonetheless.

Kagami reached out and tenderly stroked its velvety petals. _Now, I understand why I thought they were so curious before. Kagura gave me so much...she gave me happiness in an existence that should have been even more dismal than it already was. Now that she's gone, I have to show her the fruits of her blessings. Kagura, I promise you...I won't wither! I'll bloom and rise through this world, just as you believe I can!_

She didn't want to give up. She was tired of giving up. This was her chance to truly defy fate for the first time - the first strike in carving out her own destiny.

So, as serene darkness enveloped the sky and the stars twinkled into existence one by one, Kagami fell asleep amidst visions of an odd, yet bright future.

In her dreams, she ran endlessly towards the boundless horizon, chasing the shooting stars that she hoped would make her wishes come true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit, I'm not much of a people person, so trying to simulate more emotional storytelling is a bit out of my depth (and listening to "What is Love" on loop doesn't count). I'm still satisfied with how it turned out, though.
> 
> This chapter begins a new arc of the story, where the focus lies entirely on Kagami and her trials. I get that the story is technically about both Kagura and Kagami, but Kagami is the "main" main character, so to speak (although I promise Kagura will return). I feel the vibes of the story are going to shift a lot towards "melancholy" as Kagami sets out on her lone journey.
> 
> In terms of real life, a crucial transition period is about to occur. I feel that I should be able to keep writing this story (because I really enjoy it), but I hope my pace doesn't stagnate too much...


	7. Nameless Story of a Lonely Road, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _A lone journey may be melancholy, but it can be just as breathtaking._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE
> 
> Okay, so I'm not dead, but I _am_ officially a university student now, so I may as well be. Things are busier, and motivation is at a bit of an all-time low, but like hell I'm going to let that stop me!
> 
> And when I said the story would exclusively focus on Kagami for most of the middle section, I lied. In a stroke of insanity, I decided to add a few more chapters to the list, depicting what Kagura is up to as Kagami tries to find her place in the world. They'll be sandwiched between Kagami's chapters (which will still be the focus).
> 
> With that, enjoy a chapter depicting the start of Kagami's solo journey, I guess.

_ 1 year after Kagura's departure. Kagami: age 18. _

Francis rested his head in his hands and sighed deeply, closing the door to his study. Ever since the princess had departed from this world, turmoil had been spreading through Lucia's upper class. And unfortunately, things being what they were, the lower class were suffering from the resulting fallout. He had just sorted out an encounter with the nobles, who had thrown a hissy fit about the quality of goods from Stonewell, and it had put him in a bad mood.  _ Why must those with everything keep taking more from those with nothing? _

However, he retained enough sanity to notice a mysterious letter left on his desk - from its orientation, it had been hastily thrown there. Curious, Francis turned the letter over and started to read it.

Ten seconds later, and he was duly confused. Who was this from? Why did it sound vaguely like a farewell? The wording led him to believe it was a person from Stonewell, but why and how would someone leave Lucia with the intent of succeeding in life? It was against the natural order...unfortunately, Lucia would never let it happen.

His eyes widened at the next part. What was all of this? A conspiracy created to keep the commoners in their place? Magic inhibitors beneath all commoner villages? Power available to all citizens of Lucia? Francis wanted to scoff and dismiss it as nonsense...but the more he looked at it, the more it made sense - and the more curious he got about it.

Silently, he opened the book containing records of Stonewell's active workforce and confirmed that they had at least a couple people skilled in digging. Pulling out a piece of paper, he jotted down a note to request a meeting with them, before urgently leaving to grab a cup of coffee and ponder this new revelation.

As he left, the final words of the letter echoed in his mind.  _ Do what you will with this knowledge. To be honest, I don't care much. You just need to know...that you are not as powerless as you think. None of you are. _

At the same time, just outside the borders of Lucia, warm winds swept over the land and caused golden fields of wheat to ripple like water. And among those fields, hair golder than the wheat blowing freely in the wind, a girl cursed by fate stood resolute.

Over the last year, Kagami had been planning for this moment, consulting what precious few maps she could and compiling a list of everything she needed to survive. The instant she had turned eighteen, she had gathered all the things she could carry and silently left Stonewell, before leaving Lucia itself - Ivan and Elise had said their farewells at the border after watching to make sure her departure went smoothly. She didn't encounter anyone, and nobody had tried to stop her. It was likely that nobody would ever remember her, and she was okay with that. However, she  _ did  _ leave a letter to the village chief, revealing the secrets behind the nobles and their so-called exclusive magical powers. What he did with that knowledge, she honestly didn't care - but it had to be said.

_ Just because Lucia's commoners deserve to know more than anyone. _

She took a deep breath, feeling the fresh country air enter her lungs. Then, with an equally deep exhale, she rummaged in her baggage and pulled out the maps that she had hastily scribbled down. By doing this, she was throwing herself into a vast new world with no outside help and very little prior knowledge - to her, Lurie may as well have been a limitless land of unknown possibility. It was alien, dangerous even - but those same uncertain possibilities were what Kagami was seeking out. Somewhere out there, there had to be things that would help her achieve her dream, waiting for her to discover them.

But she was still a tiny fish in a huge pond, so she needed to have a plan, no matter how bare-bones. And according to her maps and the various people she had asked as she trekked, her first destination was the city of Stohle. An independent city whose founders had been inspired by modern architecture from Sentrius, they had struck gold upon discovering a land rich with natural resources. Now, Stohle was a massive, bustling cityscape quite unlike the Lucian kingdom it neighbored, and was a hub of economic success despite its comparatively small size and borderline complete lack of military strength. This also served to keep it safe, as even the most war-mongering civilizations understood the pacifistic city's value and left it alone.

Kagami would have to trek northeast for at least a few days in order to reach the city, but she had learned camping techniques to let her survive outdoors - and the faint magic within Kagura's cape let her perform spells to assist her, no matter how crude. She hoped that this alien new civilization would have everything she needed - not only was it famed for having some of the most moral and disciplined citizenship a city could have, it'd probably have a whole lot of things for Kagami to discover. Not to mention, a place to rest after a long trek would always be nice.

Leaving Lucia had been surprisingly easy - she had sold a few of her gems for funds, and then promptly paid the required fee at the border. What really surprised her was that the guards didn't ask many questions about her or check her belongings - either they underestimated her, were content with being paid, didn't care, or all of the above. Stohle's border patrol was said to be lax, but it would still likely be more secure, so Kagami had to come up with a way to mitigate any possible difficulties. Her magic aptitude was at a point where she was able to cast simple spells provided her concentration wasn't disturbed, so perhaps she could do something with that?

But for now, she had to get there first. Rolling up her maps and checking her luggage, she sighed and took her first steps down the dirt road.

The first steps in a long, solitary journey.

Her trip was surprisingly uneventful. Kagami wandered along dirt paths, following the directions left by past cartographers, and stopped nightly to find a comfortable spot in the wilds to sleep. She was still in a populated region of Lurie peppered with smaller settlements, so there were many labeled paths for convenience.

About a third of the way there, Kagami realized that alternate methods of transport existed, like carriages. However, as fate would have it, none of the settlements she passed by had any to spare. Not that she really minded - she needed the practice after all, since she figured she'd be walking  _ a lot _ soon. And living a life as a traveller, camping among the stars - it was a surreal, sublime experience that Kagami didn't dislike.

However, she eventually arrived at the borders of Stohle after several days, only to have her breath taken away. The city was  _ massive! _ She had seen photos of Aether and the Statican Empire's mobile cities before, but it was quite different being at the entrance to one of these grand, alien civilizations. The metal-and-glass skyscrapers towered over even the royal castle at Zenith, and there were a  _ lot  _ of them.

As she neared the border, she was intercepted at the gates by a security guard. Unlike the guards in Lucia, they wore thick black vests and lighter padding over military-esque clothes, rather than plate armor. Weapons were holstered at their belts - small devices that Kagami identified as the "guns" the higher-tech civilizations used.

"Halt, traveller." the guard called out sternly. "State your intentions."

Kagami cleared her throat. "I'm just visiting Stohle for a few days at most. I have no important business here - I want to see what the city has to offer."

The guard frowned. "Aren't you a little too young to be exploring on your own?"

"I'm old enough."

Cue a raised eyebrow. "Really now? I don't have time for tomfoolery."

Kagami pulled a card out of her bag, offering it to the guard - as per Lucian standard, Stonewell gave all citizens rudimentary identification cards. He perused the small card, then handed it back to her. "Well...this certainly checks out. I could have sworn you looked at least a few years younger, with how scrawny you are."

The girl just offered a shrug as she started walking forward, only for the guard to block her with an outstretched arm. "Hold on. We're gonna have to look at your belongings first."

Kagami took a deep breath and opened her bags. The guard inspected their contents - basic living necessities, some cash, a neat letter, spare clothes, and a bag of small candies, among other things. Shrugging, the guard zipped up the baggage and handed it back to Kagami. "You're good. Get going."

The travelling commoner bowed and made her way through the gate. From behind her, she heard the guard greet another newcomer. "Welcome to Stohle. It's a pleasure to have you."

Kagami sighed in relief, dispelling the illusion magic she had cast over her belongings. To her delight, she had quickly discovered that minor light-bending magic like the kind used to make small illusions was one of the easier types of magic to use, so she had quickly picked up on it. She just carefully pictured her belongings appearing as innocuous objects, and her newfound powers responded to her request - it wasn't demanding on her mind or abilities at all. To make matters better, the people at Stohle weren't known for having the best awareness of magic.

The second she stepped foot into the city, Kagami's jaw dropped as the full grandeur of the modern civilization swept over her like a tsunami. Towers of concrete, steel, and glass soared into the air, taller than anything Kagami had seen. Bizarre mechanical vehicles drove along streets marked with colorful stripes and flanked with bright lights, the sounds of machinery and blaring speakers flooding into her ears from all directions. Vibrant lights danced from all around her, the windows of the various stores and buildings around her alight with colorful brightness. Amidst the setting sun, the countless sparkling lights coming to life from within the massive buildings seemed brighter than the sun itself.

_ Was this how an ant felt? Staring up at countless sky-piercing monoliths, trying to catch a glimpse of a massive and incomprehensible world far above? _

For a second, Kagami wanted to sit down, take a deep breath, and just take some time to absorb that feeling of wonder deep into herself. However, she still had things she wanted to do. Not to mention, just because the city prided itself on its disciplined citizenship didn't mean she was safe - she didn't want to risk getting robbed or otherwise attacked if she let her guard down.

After getting her bearings, she managed to find a vacant table with a few maps of the city laid out on top of it. The sign at the front said that they were free, so Kagami gratefully took one and unfolded it, perusing the paper curiously. Stores, residences...Kagami's eyes widened once she saw that there was a firearm store nearby. Clearly the population was well-behaved enough that firearms were a regular commodity, since there was no shortage of stores in the city.

But this was news to Kagami. With her cursed body rendering her too frail for striking weapons, and her inability to store magical energy hampering her arcane potential, would a weapon like that fulfil her need for self-defense? Curious, Kagami gripped the handle of her bag tighter and set off for the store.

Despite the fact that the roads of Stohle were both borderline labyrinthine and bustling with people and vehicles, it didn't take her long to find it. It really didn't look too special - it was almost exactly like a weapons store that one could find in Zenith, a medium-sized building lit by bright fluorescent bulbs. Inside, many customers wandered idly, talking to themselves or looking over the goods.

Pushing open the door, the jingling of an electronic bell signaled Kagami's arrival. In response, the burly man behind the counter awoke from his nap and looked around for his new customer, before frowning. "Welcome to the store. Er...hello? Anyone there?"

"I'm here."

He looked around before finally noticing a fringe of golden hair poking out from the edge of his table. Standing up and leaning over, he saw a small girl staring up at him, her expression treading the border between eagerness and apathy. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but children aren't allowed to buy guns."

Kagami frowned in response. "I'm not a kid. I'm old enough, according to the notes you posted outside the store. And I'm here to look for a weapon I can buy."

As childish as she looked, the storeowner could tell from the cadence of her voice that she was pretty likely to be as old as she claimed. And as much as he was tempted to shoo her out of the store, she was still a customer. "If you say so. Go and look around, then - there's a small testing range in the back. I'll be watching you, though - you break anything, you're paying."

Kagami just nodded and took long strides around the store, gazing at all the foreign weaponry laid out before her eyes. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched the cold metal of one of the rifles, recoiling at its chill. The weapons didn't glow or do anything a Lucian magical weapon would do, but Kagami still knew of its power - the ability to destroy a target with the press of a trigger.

She eyed up the wide variety of weapons. The ones she had heard about were all energy weapons, but now that she looked at them, they all seemed exorbitantly expensive. While she could  _ technically _ afford one, she had to spend her money extremely sparingly, since she had no stable way of making more. On the flip side, a lot of the weapons were kinetic - weapons that propelled solid projectiles with explosive or magnetic force. The simpler ones that used gunpowder and metal ammunition were the cheapest, so they drew Kagami's interest.

Gingerly, she picked up a small demo handgun. She wasn't looking for a professional weapon - she just needed something that'd let her defend herself, and a small gun would likely do the trick. Reading the instructions on the wall beside her, she primed the weapon, steadied herself, aimed at the target, and pulled the trigger.

Several things happened at this moment - all of which took an unprepared Kagami off guard. The first was a loud crack of gunfire that assailed her eardrums and stunned her. The second was a physical force - unaware that the weapon would have so much backlash, the recoil from the gun sent the pistol shooting into Kagami's forehead - and almost instantly, everything went fuzzy, then dark.

When Kagami came to, she was seated in a small stool beside the front desk. Almost instantly, throbbing pain pulsed through her head - she gingerly touched two fingers to her head and found that while her forehead wasn't bleeding, it was definitely swollen.

"What…" she groaned, getting to her feet and checking that her belongings were still with her. "...What happened?"

Beside her, the cashier snorted. "You didn't do your homework, that's what. First of all, you need ear protection in the testing range, and you want it when shooting in general. Second, guns like the one you just tried have rather significant recoil, and you've got to be prepared to handle it. To put it bluntly, it seems like you're too scrawny to be using gunpowder weapons freely."

Kagami sighed and clicked her tongue in irritation. "Did you move me and my stuff over here?"

A shrug from the cashier. "You're a weird one, but you're still a potential customer. Can't leave 'em just lying unconscious on the floor - they don't buy things that way. Don't worry, you were out for five minutes, tops."

_ Thank goodness. I didn't trust what would happen if my belongings or I were left alone. _

However, Kagami was now faced with another problem. After that mishap, whatever ideas about wielding firearms she had from before were dashed. If even a small weapon like that had that level of recoil, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to take it - she could maybe get used to it, but even if she learned to mitigate the recoil and use weapons like that, she didn't see herself using them  _ effectively.  _ But if she couldn't handle a recoil-heavy weapon, and all the others were substantially more expensive, then…

The man was getting impatient. "I don't have all day, kid. Are you gonna buy something? If not, see yourself out - we're closing up soon, and I want to go home."

"Er...do you have any weapons without recoil? Besides the energy firearms and the like."

"Figured you'd ask for something like that." the man replied gruffly. "Well, if you insist, we sell smaller self-defense weapons over in that section. They're cheaper than guns, too - since nobody really ever buys them."

Kagami followed his direction and moved to a small section in the corner of the store, which was stocked with things like knives and the like. A small device lying on a shelf caught her eye, and she picked it up.

"That thing's a shock weapon." the cashier explained. "Hold down the button and stick something with it, and it'll release a powerful electrical jolt to incapacitate them. It's not really designed to cause lethal damage - you'd be stunning a target at best. That newer model has an extendable blade, though...it's a little crude, but you'd be surprised at what I've heard that stun knives are able to do."

Kagami didn't really want or need to kill anything - or, god forbid, anyone. Testing it out in the firing range, she made her decision and took it to the front desk. "Yeah, I'll take this one."

The man behind the desk punched some numbers into his electronic cash register, and Kagami rummaged around in her wallet - she had made sure that the currency she was carrying was accepted in Stohle. However, right before she paid, she frowned a little as she realized something. "It's a little bit above the marked price, isn't it?"

A shrug from the cashier. "That sign is for the older versions of this weapon. The latest batch of these new models came in today, and we forgot to change the sign."

Kagami glanced at the price tag. "You sure? That price tag has the exact model number of the weapon - and it perfectly matches the one printed on this."

For a split second, Kagami could see a hostile emotion surface on the man's face - part anger, part disappointment. However, he just shrugged again - although his body was visibly tense. "Oh...I guess it was changed without me noticing. Alright, fine, I'll change the price."

Resisting the urge to exhale in relief that she had narrowly avoided being scammed, Kagami paid the man and took the weapon. It still wasn't cheap, but it was cheaper than any of the alternatives, and she trusted it'd get the job done.

"That thing runs out of juice fast." the man added. "It comes with a charger of sorts, but you still need to charge it all the time. Some people will tell you to buy more batteries...but that's very sketchy, even by my standards. These things were designed to be reusable for a reason."

Kagami allowed herself a wry smile as she remembered that she had abilities of her own - amused that she'd be using them for such mundane purposes. "I think I've got that covered. Thank you."

Without further ado, she stuffed it into her bag and set off, leaving the cashier more than a little confused at the whole series of events.

Now that she had a weapon, Kagami's next task was simpler - find somewhere to stay. Another look at a directory told her that the nearest hotel was some ways away, so she'd have to figure out a way to get there.

Her answer came mere seconds after reading the directory in a bit more detail. Stohle had a sophisticated transportation system, with its rail system being its most advanced method of getting from one place to another. Partially out of practical purpose and partially out of curiosity, she decided to go for a ride - reading the map, a certain line could take her directly to the nearest hotel.

The station wasn't hard to find. It was built into the side of a great shopping mall, with a very clear glowing sign announcing its location to the world. Stepping into the building, Kagami looked around in awe. Everything was made of polished grey concrete or metal, and it was jam-packed with bustling citizens looking to catch a ride. She had never seen anything like it - Lucia's transportation was limited to carriages at best.

Walking over to a ticket machine, Kagami stared at it in mild confusion. As a girl from a poor village, she had little to no idea about how to use technology. However, the machine was kind enough to have detailed instructions listed beside its glowing screen, and Kagami quickly figured out how to buy a ticket. Thinking about how she would likely spend at least a few days in Stohle, she decided to buy a few of them as she resolved to take the so-called express line - although as the tickets popped out of the machine, she made haste to grab them once she noticed that the huge line behind her was starting to give her the evil eye.

Hustling to the nearest escalator, Kagami took a deep breath as it carried her to the aboveground platform, where the sunset washing over Stohle's skyscrapers was clearly visible. For the number of people that were bustling around in the lower floor, the platform was surprisingly empty.

A warm wind blew over Kagami as she stared at the tracks, taking care to not step over the yellow line despite the presence of mechanical gates blocking off the rails. They were simple train tracks, but they still intrigued her - she had never seen a train before, after all. The rails looked worn on all sides but the top, which shimmered with the sheen of metal fresh out of a foundry - the constant movement of the trains had definitely polished it more than any grindstone could. 

Her ears picked up on a faint whistling, growing louder by the second as a piercing light became visible in the distance. Seconds later, she found her hair blown backwards by a sleek silver vehicle that practically barreled into the station, whipping up a minor gale. She didn't have a chance to take a closer look, but the train seemed to have a streamlined head mostly made of dark glass, along with faintly luminescent green lines running down its length to signify its color-coded route. Its large windows were flush with the train's surface, and small glowing signs proclaimed its destination.

The whooshing of its movement lowered to a metallic whine, before terminating in a small hiss as the train smoothly braked to a halt. With a pleasant dinging sound, doors evenly spaced along the sides of the vehicle slid open, releasing a veritable torrent of citizens that surged onto the platform and out of the station. Kagami noted that all the others waited for the previous passengers to alight first, so she figured it was a courtesy valued by the people of Stohle.

That process took a few seconds at most, and Kagami was soon able to pick up her luggage and hop onto the train, taking care to mind the gap. The interior was somehow both plain and sophisticated - smooth white walls, polished silver seats, and evenly spaced screens showing the train's route and its upcoming stations. There was a faint blowing sound as machines cycled cold air throughout the vehicle, alleviating the heat caused by the bustling of many bodies.

Kagami somehow managed to find a seat, but the train ended up not being that crowded. Tucking her bags close to herself, she heard a pleasant dinging noise as the door slid closed and an automated voice provided details about the route. Then, with a sudden lurch and the sound of an electric motor powering up, she was off.

As the muffled whine of the train's engine grew higher and louder, Kagami stared out the window as a sense of awe filled her chest. The red glow of the sunset was retreating below the horizon, letting the night sky slowly take over. The towering buildings of Stohle fell into shadow, colors fading into black as the vanishing light faintly outlined them with fiery red. But as the world darkened, the city lit up in response - one by one, bright lights flickered into existence all over Stohle, until they seemed to outnumber the stars themselves.

The train started crossing a huge river atop a grand, glowing bridge, and the lights inside the train turned on in response to the darkening sky. Staring out the window at the dusk skyline of an alien civilization beyond her understanding, taking in the cool filtered air, listening to the quiet murmurings of the nearby passengers, hearing the gentle yet powerful hum of a futuristic vehicle carrying her faster than she'd ever travelled before...Kagami couldn't describe it very well. It was an overwhelming feeling that her mind couldn't piece together words to represent, an amorphous vibe that logic couldn't solidify into a comprehensible concept.

_ Maybe emotions don't need to be something you can truly think about. They just need to...well, exist, and be felt. _

Kagami must have dozed off at some point, because what she remembered next was a perky chime as the automated system announced that she was arriving at her station. Blinking the spots out of her eyes, Kagami gathered up her luggage and tried to leave, only for the passengers to roughly and inadvertently shove her aside as they all made for the exit, seemingly unable to notice her presence. Sighing, Kagami waited for the passengers to depart, before hopping off the train herself.

The girl overheard the smooth whine of the train departing once more as she gently stepped down the stairs, taking note of the sign indicating that they were wet from what looked like a spill. Walking past brightly lit stores and screens displaying both infographics and what looked like advertisements, she was surprised to find that she was free to just walk out of the station. She had half expected that she'd have to do something to verify her ticket purchase, or that her fee would vary depending on how far she travelled, but she just stepped out of the station and found herself back on the moonlit streets of the modern city.

It was at a time when the streets were starting to calm down, so Kagami was free to walk undisturbed. Passing by countless buildings and stores, Kagami felt as if she were staring into a reflection of the civilizations she had seen - so similar, yet so incredibly different. As she walked, she passed by a dark alleyway and caught a glimpse of a group of seedy-looking people doing...something. One of them saw her and gave her an odd look that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, so Kagami accelerated her pace and got the hell out of dodge.

Fortunately, they didn't follow her. Kagami figured that even in a city priding itself on quality citizenship, there'd definitely be a few outliers. Good thing that there were what looked like law enforcers patrolling the area, so even if they didn't care about her personally, the enforcers could maybe apprehend the sketchy-looking citizens if they tried anything. She definitely couldn't afford to get robbed, attacked, or just have anything bad happen to her so early in her journey.

Soon, she arrived at the hotel, only to have her breath taken away again. Being at the base of the building and craning her neck to try and make out the top of the towering monolith was a totally different feeling from looking at the skyscrapers from afar. But when the glass doors slid open by themselves and she stepped into the building, it was...surprisingly quaint. The reception room wasn't exactly small, but it had a minimalistic vibe to it - dim lighting set within grey walls framed with wooden beams, a few potted plants here and there, a crackling fireplace that somehow looked fake, and a couple of geometric yet soft couches. At the front of the room, a woman stood behind the counter, eyeing Kagami up. "Here to book a room?"

Kagami nodded, silently walking up to the reception desk and looking at the array of documents laid out on its surface. As she approached, the receptionist seemed to get tense, before clearing her throat. "Well…what kind of room would you like?"

Kagami frowned - best to take care of things quick before her curse ruined the conversation. "I'm not sure. I've never been here before."

Sliding a pamphlet with some information over to the girl, the receptionist clicked her tongue. "You really should've taken a look beforehand. Nobody's here now, but I've already had to deal with a lot of visitors today. I'm not really in an explaining mood...you know you can book rooms online, right?"

The village girl had no idea what "online" even meant, but she decided to just stay silent - retorting would definitely make things worse. Looking through the options, she figured she just needed a place to sleep for a bit, and chose a simple, comparatively cheap room option.

The receptionist nodded. "Understood. You have a card for this?"

Kagami's smile of relief melted somewhat. "Erm...do you take cash?"

She was afraid that her incompetence with Stohle's modern conventions was going to anger the receptionist to the point where she'd be denied a room, but the woman just sighed deeply. "Well…we don't normally take cash. I guess if you're not staying for long, your fee will be cheap enough to pay off with cash without being too inconvenient."

"That's alright. Guess I'm just staying for a few days then."

Kagami paid the receptionist and, after sorting out some papers and whatnot, was handed a card and some instructions. Staring at the card, she pointed at it as if it were some kind of alien tablet. "This...is this what keys look like here?"

The receptionist snorted. "Were you born under a rock? You look like you came from some faraway place...but you should've at least looked more into this kind of stuff, right?"

Kagami didn't care how the receptionist felt about her, but she still felt stupid. Bowing her head ever so slightly to the receptionist, she took her leave.

Turns out, Kagami had never used an elevator before, but it was intuitive enough that she got it on her first try. Good thing, too - if she had one more mishap that involved being out of touch with Stohle's workings, her limited supply of self-esteem for the day would have been crushed.

Sliding the key card across the device attached to the door of room 2431, Kagami heard the telltale click of a lock unlocking before she pushed the door open. It was...surprisingly plain, resembling a more comfortable-looking version of a dorm room she'd find in Stonewell. And by more comfortable-looking, she meant  _ very  _ comfortable looking.

Taking off her boots, Kagami leapt onto one of the ironed beds on impulse. The second she came into contact with the soft surface, time seemed to freeze as a surge of sensation shot through her entire body, making her involuntarily seize up. Being someone who had alternated between sleeping in an orphanage or sleeping outdoors, she hadn't slept on something this soft since...well, her camping trip with Kagura, many years ago. Then, time unfroze and she sank into the puffy sheets, which instantly incapacitated her by means of overwhelming bliss.

She spent a few minutes just childishly rolling around on the bed, soaking in the feeling as it seemingly washed her fatigue away. Then, it was time to explore her temporary new home.

It was a cozy little place, about the same size as one of the single rooms at her orphanage, but infinitely more comfortable. The ground was a vaguely fuzzy carpet instead of worn wood, and a large wooden table held a bunch of implements like glass cups, a lamp, a strange device with a myriad of buttons on it, and what looked like a large dark panel of glass sitting upright. Stepping into the bathroom, Kagami almost didn't recognize it - bathrooms could be  _ clean? _ A porcelain sink with two cups sitting on a shelf atop it, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a shower stall with a sliding glass door...Kagami had never seen anything quite like them before.

_ Do...all the people here live like this? _

As bizarre as it sounded, Kagami's wandering meant that if she couldn't find a civilization to take a stop at, she'd resort to nature for any needs that she'd normally need a bathroom for. But now...she had the means to indulge herself, at least for a bit.

After figuring out how to use everything and taking care of all her business, Kagami stepped out of the bathroom with a content sigh, clad in the pyjama-like robe that she had found in the closet. Out of all the things in the bathroom, the shower had impressed her the most - bathing in Stonewell wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience, since the river was always cold and whatever showers available either had little warm water to spare or a strictly enforced time limit to conserve said water. The moment the jets of hot water had touched Kagami's skin, the unfamiliar sensation had caused Kagami to seize up and nearly fall over. Not because she had turned the temperature higher than expected - that happened later - but because it was...well, warm. The feeling of warm water soaking her entire body was something she tried to burn into her mind, because the sheer bliss of it made her want to melt away.

_ Kagura...talked about a hot spring at some point, right? Is this like it? _

After snooping around the room, pressing buttons and experimenting, Kagami's stomach rumbled as she realized she hadn't eaten dinner yet. However, before booking the hotel room, Kagami had stopped by a small convenience store and bought some miscellaneous food items, many of which were designed to be quick-fix meals.

She rummaged around in her bag and pulled them out. The first one she saw was a cup of noodles that would be ready with the simple addition of boiled water...only for Kagami to realize she had little means to boil water. Then she remembered that she  _ did  _ have access to limited heat magic...but when she pulled out a pair of sandwiches right afterwards, she decided to play it safe. Her magic was messy and somewhat poorly controlled, and it'd be bad if she accidentally started a fire, after all.

Munching on the sandwiches, Kagami sat on the squishy bed and stared out the window thoughtfully. Her room was on the twenty-fourth floor, which gave her a pretty stunning view of the skyline - an artificial landscape of towering steel, glass, and concrete, dotted with too many motes of light to count. If she listened closely, she could hear the slow yet unyielding commotion of the nighttime city, the beating heart of a civilization that never slept. As if to match this heartbeat, the thousands of lights from all over Stohle flickered and pulsed like terrestrial stars - in fact, they shone so much that the stars themselves were murky from both air and light pollution, much like they were in Zenith.

Hesitantly, Kagami reached into her bag and pulled out the cape she had received as a parting gift from Kagura. Unfolding it, she held it up to the window, holding its starry surface to the obscured night sky as if to fill in a missing piece of the firmament. Their colors blended together, the stars within the fabric swirling gently like she had just tilted a jar full of stardust.

Kagami had half a mind to wear the cape everywhere in honor of Kagura, but in a world where everyone was likely against her, it'd make her suspicious at best and a target at worst. Gripping the fabric in her hands, its ethereal surface almost caressed her skin as she felt its innate magic flowing into her. Taking out the weapon she had bought earlier, Kagami raised a finger and tapped its charging port, channeling magic from the cape through her body as she visualized a sequence of events focused around a single task.

_ Channel. Flow. Arc. Discharge. Receive. Charge. _

To her surprise, a faint electrical arc formed between her fingertip and the weapon, and the energy meter on its side started slowly but surely filling up. Kagami couldn't help but laugh as a result, accidentally breaking her concentration and thus the electrical arc - magic seemed more useful for mundane things than the grand feats spoken of in tales.

_ Kagura...would you be mad that I'm using your gift for such a mundane purpose? _

Thinking about her missing friend caused Kagami's smile to evaporate. Sinking into her bedsheets, Kagami hugged her cape and let out a deep sigh.

_ Kagura...where are you now, I wonder? _

She knew that she could probably cope with living all alone, but Kagura's departure had left a hole in her heart that she only hoped she'd be able to fill one day. Reminiscing about the past, Kagami was filled with so many regrets, rooted in emotion rather than logic...if she had done something different at any one of the myriad moments she could have made a different choice, how would their future have changed? Was it possible that they would have still been happy together, if she had just made better decisions?

She gripped the cape tighter. She had already figured out how it worked a while ago - it quite literally stored memories and emotions just by Kagami willing it to, and was able to let Kagami almost relive them on demand. How Kagura had pulled off such a feat was beyond her, but Kagami had no reason to doubt her and her immense magical talent. The mystic drape filled Kagami with a sense of comfort, not just because of its warmth, not just because it made her feel like Kagura was right beside her again...but because of the fact that she could now preserve her memories and, when Kagura came back, share them with her.

_ When Kagura comes back… _

If Kagami succeeded on her journey, Kagura would laugh and plead for Kagami to share all the memories she acquired. So, for her sake, she would collect all of her memories, both the good and the bad - proof of her life. A cumulative blend of innumerable memories...the very essence of  _ living  _ itself.

After recording the emotions she had just experienced, Kagami finished charging her weapon along with her dinner. Finding that she was still relatively awake due to her nap on the train ride to the hotel, Kagami spent some time figuring out how to use the devices in her room. Once she learned how to operate the television, she just sat there and scrolled through channels for a few hours, watching anything she thought was interesting and learning more about the grand city she had stepped into. However, fatigue overtook her faster than she had thought, so she shut down television, turned off all the lights, and collapsed onto the plush bed, passing out almost instantly.

It was the most comfortable sleep she'd had in a while.

Kagami slept like a rock, which naturally meant that she woke up incredibly late. Having missed breakfast, Kagami just resolved to go downstairs and eat brunch at a nearby restaurant. After ordering a meal that looked good, Kagami discovered that the food there was both delicious and filling - a meaty burger and a pack of "fries", or potatoes cut into little straws and, well, fried. The drink nearly made her choke - she hadn't been expecting the beverage to be so carbonated, and the bubbles had relentlessly attacked her throat when she had taken her first recklessly large gulp. However, just from how salty and oily everything was, she could tell that this wasn't something people were supposed to eat every day.

She spent the rest of the day looking things up about the city, visiting places of interest and learning more about how Stohle worked. Everyone was hard at work, performing too many different professions for Kagami to count. She even observed the life of some of the city folk, and was mildly surprised to see that most of them lived lives of content and happiness. Clearly, the general lifestyle in Stohle was one that allowed for happiness and success.

For a moment, Kagami considered staying. If she settled down here, learned a trade, got a job...she could maybe live a quiet life free from worry. All she'd have to do is play it safe, and give up on her dream of rising in the world.

That thought lasted about one minute before being shaken off. It might have been the smarter option, but Kagami refused to just settle for this. Kagura's last wish had been for her to find her true potential and achieve greatness. For Kagami to reject that final wish would be far too insulting to Kagura's memory to even consider. 

_ She had confidence in me! She...she believed in me! _

Kagami wanted to value herself more, but everything about her future was still so uncertain. Weak, unfortunate, and cursed by humanity, the chances of her securing a shining future was grim, and the thing driving her on was a desire to honor Kagura's wishes. But Kagura had also said that she wanted Kagami to live for herself, without her influence...now, Kagami didn't really have a choice, but her mind and heart were both still desperately clinging to the memory of her only friend.

Kagura was the one dearest to her - she meant more than anything to Kagami. But even Kagami knew that if she was to succeed, she had to start doing things for herself. Not to satisfy Kagura's wish, not to honor her memory, but to achieve her own dreams and aspirations in spite of the harsh reality she was facing. She knew this very well - that Kagura wouldn't want her to keep relying on her like this.

_ But it's...still too hard to let go. _

Her heart refused to release the memories of her past. In such a bleak world, she had little choice but to derive happiness from the joys of the past, seemingly given life by her vividly sharp memory. The memory of the Lucian princess, the times they shared, the sheer affection she had felt...her heart instinctively fed off of them, sustaining itself using the fleeting emotions. And it would likely keep doing this, until the day that Kagami found true happiness yet again.

_...I hope that time is soon. _

Kagami left Stohle after three days. She had replenished some supplies and thought about her course of action, before making the decision that perhaps her best course of action was to have none at all.

...Well, not exactly. She still had a vague plan, but with so little information on the vast geography of Lurie, she didn't know exactly where she wanted to go, nor did she know an exact way she could achieve her end goal. But she had made up her mind - in this situation, where the future was shrouded in endless mystery, the only way that'd get her anywhere was forward.

So, over the course of the next two years, Kagami embarked on a solitary journey across Lurie. During this journey, she saw many things and did many things. She encountered new locations, creatures, and landscapes far beyond her wildest imagination. She ate new foods, saw new sights, even faced new challenges. Everything was new - Kagami was a tiny fish thrown into a massive pond teeming with danger and wonder. Everywhere she went, she'd face whatever the world had to offer, both the good and the bad, while using her magic cape to record her experiences. And as she explored Lurie, she kept pushing forward - searching for something, anything that would let her fulfil her dreams of defying fate, anything that could help her keep the promise she had made to her dearest friend.

But it wasn't easy. The world was still a harsh place, and surviving sometimes came at a steep cost. At times, it was unbearably lonely, and sometimes Kagami felt like she was drowning in despair. But no matter the depths she sank into, a moment of joy would always surface later, no matter how fleeting - and those transient joys gave her hope. Not to mention that despite being in total isolation for much of the journey...Kagami eventually grew to find it strangely entrancing. 

After all, in isolation, there was loneliness. In loneliness, solitude. And in solitude, a special, elusive form of melancholy beauty.

And soon enough, she indeed found beauty in her loneliness.

_ Three months in… _

Kagami's eyes fluttered open, allowing sunlight to penetrate her vision as an incoherent mumble escaped her lips. Stretching out, she felt the coarse grass scratch against her legs as she forced herself to sit up, fighting a losing battle against sleep. Blinking the spots out of her eyes, the sound of the trickling stream brought her back to reality, and Kagami was soon awake and prepared to face the next day.

Then she looked around and remembered where she was. After getting lost in a forest and dragging herself around for a while, Kagami had been delighted to arrive in a seemingly abandoned village by sundown. She didn't look around too much since she was exhausted, only searching for anything she could use. To her dismay, she found that there was nothing of use - all the food was gone or rotted away, all the tools were rusted and cracked, and the beds were in such poor condition that Kagami opted to sleep outside instead.

Staring around, Kagami took some time to clearly admire the little village. There wasn't a single person in sight, the remnants of human civilization intertwined with creeping foliage, rust, and decay - almost more vegetation than architecture. It was windless to the point where the air felt stagnant, and soundless save for the gently trickling stream and the occasional buzz of an insect. As she took a deep breath, feeling the smell of earth and wood enter her nose, it became clear that this was a village consumed by nature, one left for the earth to reclaim. Someday, would all civilizations end up like this?

But she decided she'd mused for long enough, looking around her makeshift campsite as she took stock of her belongings. Being the nomadic traveller she was, as well as being someone who had already spent much of her life outside, Kagami was relatively adept at surviving in the wild. Stohle had given her a huge opportunity to buy more equipment, but there was really only so much she could lug around at once. She opted to carry around a single, slightly large piece of baggage, and nothing more. This was still enough to give her basic survival necessities, like a compact sleeping bag and equipment for the weather.

The small pot she had set up last night sat over a campfire, its flame long since extinguished. Figuring the water inside should still be relatively safe to drink, Kagami took a careful sip, choking slightly when she realized how cold it was.  _ Maybe I should reheat it… _

The bright sun beating down on her caught her attention. In the wild, she tended to lose all sense of time, but guessing from the sun's position, it was nearly noon. Almost as if on cue, her stomach quietly rumbled, politely asking its owner for food. The next time, it would probably be less polite about it.

Her eyes immediately darted to the river beside her. She had caught and eaten a small fish yesterday - call her choosy, but she wanted something else today if possible. Her next targets were the plants around her - she instantly rejected the variety of grasses around her, only to notice a tree growing some nuts. Reaching over and plucking a few, Kagami pulled a small book out of her belongings, quickly flipping through the pages. One day, she'd be able to memorize all of the things in the detailed wildlife guide she had bought from Stohle, but today wasn't one of those days.

Soon, she verified that the nuts were edible, shelled them with her knife, and unceremoniously shoved them into her mouth, before realizing that just because she was in the wilderness didn't mean that she  _ had  _ to be uncivilized. Chewing them almost guiltily, she started looking for something else she could eat, only for her eyes to fall upon a group of birds circling overhead.

While it might have seemed squeamish to many, Kagami didn't have many qualms against killing animals to eat in the wild. But considering her lack of means to hunt them, and the fact that animals were often crafty, Kagami had to adopt more carefully thought-out methods of hunting.

She had her stun knife, but it was a short-ranged weapon that would basically never guarantee a quick kill, if it even successfully killed her target. And the way she was now, her magic was too messy and unrefined to use a direct attack. After trying and failing numerous times in a safer environment, Kagami eventually devised a method of attack that was both feasible and somewhat effective.

Picking a pebble off the floor, Kagami held her hand in a position resembling gripping a pistol as she pinched the pebble between her thumb and knuckle. Pointing it at the bird, she mentally noted that there was little to no wind - it was a clear shot.

However, she let out a small sigh as she realized she'd forgotten a key part of her attack. Running back to her belongings and putting on Kagura's cape, she felt its magic reserves connect with her own. Raising her hand, she concentrated, visualized her expected result...and fired.

Her magic responded to her will, bringing forth a strong telekinetic force focused on the pebble between her fingers. The rock shot into the sky with a high whistle, transformed by magic into a bullet-like projectile...that proceeded to miss all of Kagami's targets. The birds screeched in alarm and flew around in a panic, but settled down mere seconds later.

Kagami bit back a curse. It had been over a month since she had learned to fire small rocks as projectiles with her magic, but her aim had only gotten marginally better. She supposed this wasn't exactly something she could practice in public, but still. Clicking her tongue, she picked up another pebble, adjusted her aim, and fired again. This time, there was a loud squeal as her attack struck true, followed by the heavy thump of the downed bird falling to the ground. Fortunately for her, while the wildlife was often crafty, it also usually wasn't  _ too  _ smart - evidenced by the fact that the birds had lingered even after she had missed her first shot.

She had quickly learned that accelerating an object with a small mass was both easy and efficient, given that she could launch pebbles like bullets without any real difficulty. And although she had tried using a compressed air burst to launch the pebbles, she had found out the hard way that the wind burst was actually enough to alert many of the more sensitive animals - creatures were often more sensitive to wind than they were to magic.

Kagami briskly walked to the flailing bird and gulped. She didn't know the most humane way to kill a bird, so she had just been trusting her gut feeling - and that didn't do wonders for making her feel less nervous that she was doing something wrong. Grabbing the struggling creature, she took a deep breath, channeled magic into her fingers, and pulled - instantly snapping its lithe neck. Fortunately, that seemed to kill it instantly, as its struggle completely stopped a second later.

_ Would Kagura have been able to do this so easily? _

She remembered the first time she had killed a fish in front of Kagura, and how the princess had shrieked and looked at her in horror. The last time she had seen her, she had been a warrior, one who was unafraid to extinguish lives to fulfil her goals. But Kagami would always remember the meek young girl who recoiled at the sight of dead animals - the one who would have never wanted to hurt a fly, much less wage a war.

Kagami shook her head. Why was she reminiscing about that now? Those times were long gone, and thinking about them would only make it hurt more. What had happened had happened, and Kagura...well, she was gone now.

She felt her grip on the bird involuntarily tighten as she sighed, turning towards the starry cape she wore. "Kagura...look at me, unable to let go and live for myself like you hoped for. What would you say? Would you be disappointed?"

Talking to a piece of fabric made Kagami feel like an idiot, but she had verified that it  _ did  _ store memories. And as conflicted as she was, this was still a memory, and her memories deserved to be saved.

_ I want to let go...but do I really, now? _

It wasn't a matter of whether she wanted to. It was something she had to do. No matter how much her heart protested, she had to do it, no matter how much it hurt. If anything, she was obligated to fulfil Kagura's last wish, as ironic as that sounded considering Kagura had essentially asked her to live without her influence.

However, she feared that if she were to truly let go, she'd forget about Kagura altogether one day - and considering how dear Kagura was to her, this was something Kagami would never condone. The mere prospect of forgetting her closest companion appalled her. Kagura would never forget her, so she absolutely could not forget Kagura!

But for now, she would focus on the present, rather than some nebulous future. Taking a deep breath of the forest air, Kagami walked back to her campfire and prepared to reignite it, trying to remember how to prepare a bird for eating.

_ Six months in… _

Kagami coughed and panted, pulling the collar of her tunic over her mouth as she tried not to inhale any more ash. From behind her, she heard the deafening bang of the ground splitting, along with the sizzling crackle of more flame pushing through the resulting cracks and leaping for freedom, followed by a wave of searing heat that washed over her. Nonetheless, she continued pressing onwards, her boots making deep indentations in the ashen ground as the land continued to burst and burn around her.

A volcanic plain charged with unstable magic, choked with ash and burning with undying rivers of fire. Any sane person would have steered clear of this area upon learning about it, but the path through this ravaged land was so fast compared to all other routes that Kagami couldn't help but take a chance. The locals had told her that there were zones of relative inactivity where travelers often went through, so she had taken her chance. Unfortunately, luck hadn't smiled on her that day - so right before her eyes, the earth began roiling with veins of molten fury.

A small fissure in front of her exploded, nearly knocking her over as it sent a gout of hungry flames towards her. With a shout, Kagami raised her hand and conjured a gust of wind that barely dispelled the flames. Even with the aid of Kagura's cape, her magic was rather rudimentary, but it was still enough to keep her alive.

Another flaming fissure appeared and started snaking through the plains, the crackling flames blowing a cloud of ash towards her. Kagami swept her cape over her face and pressed on, feeling the hot powder deflected by the magic drape. Breathing was getting harder by the second...she just needed to get out of this valley. All of the ash was sinking to the lower levels of the terrain, so once she got to the high ground, everything should become easier. 

But for now, she had to try not to get fried, hit by debris, or otherwise injured. While she had magic, she was only capable of minor healing, having learned while travelling that Kagura had made magic healing look  _ far  _ easier than it actually was. In order to heal an injury, one needed to have a very in-depth knowledge of the human body's workings and structure, to the point where you had to be able to nearly perfectly visualize exactly  _ how  _ you were repairing someone's body. It fortunately hadn't happened to her, but she had heard from a wandering doctor that failure to use healing magic correctly could result in things healing, but in all the wrong ways - and Kagami had no intention of ever seeing what that meant.

As she continued trudging up the incline to escape the ashen valley, her foot kicked a hard object, causing her to stumble briefly. Looking down, she found a strange looking rock lying at her feet, roughly the size of a tennis ball and made of a substance that looked like volcanic glass. Something about it seemed curious, so Kagami picked it up and continued on her way.

While it was still an unforgiving land, this area of the ashen plains was far more forgiving than it could have been. Mere minutes later, Kagami had reached the higher ground, above the grasp of the choking soot permeating the land. Coughing and taking a deep breath of the relatively-fresh air, Kagami wiped the sweat from her brow and took a look around for the first time, realizing how lucky she had been to be in the less active parts of the region.

Further into the heart of the region, there was no respite from the merciless flames. The endless ashen plains morphed into something resembling slag, volcanic dust continuously melting and reforming as geysers of furious light lashed out from within the earth. Whereas there were still the burnt remnants of trees in the outer areas, there was absolutely nothing that had even a semblance of life within the burning hellscape. Perhaps there could be some miraculous creatures living there, molded by the harsh environment in spite of all reason, but as far as Kagami was concerned, nothing familiar lived there, and nothing familiar ever would.

_ What could have caused something like this to form? Is it really just a volcanic, magic-charged region of land? It's almost like there's something actively causing all of this havoc, like it's trying to break free… _

Kagami gulped, feeling the taste of ash wash down her throat. That thought scared her more than a little bit, and now she wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. Yet...there was a sort of magnificence to this place, the sort of awe one felt when gazing upon some terrible, awesome power beyond their understanding.

Her fingers finding the hem of her cape, Kagami started channeling her magic into it, inscribing her memories of this moment as another pair of fissures burst to life before her eyes. Each of the cracks started snaking across the land, glowing with the molten fury of fresh magma and releasing crackling arcs of a bizarre radiant energy. The sheer heat caused by the fissures seemingly ignited the air itself as the fiery energy radiated outwards, charring a tree-like pattern of pitch-black matter into the ashen dirt.

The molten veins slowly crept towards each other, pulsing rhythmically as they carved a white-hot path towards each other. Everything around them ignited despite being already made of burnt ashes, clouds of ashes were blown aside by the explosive force, and arcs of fiery lightning leapt through the air. Yet as soon as the two fissures made contact, there was a blisteringly bright flash of light and heat...and then nothing. The instant they had touched, everything had gone dark - no more fire, no more roiling energy. The only remnants of their destructive path was a line of smoke hissing out of the scorched fissure.

_ Hey, Kagura...is it wrong to think that something so destructive is so beautiful? That could have easily destroyed a village, or killed me a hundred times over...but is it wrong to think that it was still wonderful to watch? _

Kagami's cape didn't so much as shimmer in response, and the girl just shrugged. Keeping an eye on her belongings and her new souvenir, she set off, eager to leave this land of fire as soon as possible.

_ Nine months in… _

In the middle of a snowy beach, the sound of snapping fingers ran out through the nighttime wilderness, followed by silence. A second snap, and a small spark burst to life, illuminating the white ground as it hungrily consumed the wood its creator fed it.

Shivering slightly and brushing snow off of a log, Kagami took a seat and exhaled shakily, a cloud of mist escaping along with her sigh. She had been through her fair share of cold weather, but it really didn't get any easier despite her having picked up winter clothes long ago. Fanning her campfire to keep it going, Kagami dug a cup of instant noodles out of her rations, peeled open the covering, poured some water into it, and used magic to carefully hold it above her campfire.

The first time she had tried this, it had ended predictably poorly - leaving Kagami with a spilled cup of noodles and an extinguished campfire. But over nine months of exploration, Kagami had at least somewhat learned to utilize her magic abilities for mundane tasks. She just had to maintain absolute focus on the subject, upon which she'd visualize invisible vines wrapping around it and holding it still. It had taken a few tries, but she had eventually become able to hold medium-sized objects in place for prolonged amounts of time. 

Once her cup noodles had finished boiling, Kagami took a sip, only to cough as she realized that it was still extremely hot. Figuring that it'd cool down fast if she left the cold to do its work, she set it down on the snowy ground and stood up, unpacking her goods and setting up her single-person tent.

As the last peg slid into place, Kagami wiped the sweat from her forehead and bundled herself up in her coat again, taking the time to survey the environment. She was at the shore of a huge lake, which had a small, elevated islet in the middle. While the water wasn't frozen yet, Kagami could almost feel the chill from it just by looking over the lake. All the aquatic creatures were hibernating, so the surface was completely still, like a dark mirror reflecting the stars.

Speaking about the stars, Kagami noted that the air quality in this region seemed to be extremely clear. With only the faintest of dark clouds obscuring the night sky, the heavens laid themselves bare for Kagami to see. Somehow, there seemed to be a lot more of them than usual, enough to turn the sky into a twinkling cloud. And above all those stars, Kagami could see a faint band of cloudy stars stretching across the sky - she had heard that that was the core of their galaxy, visible from Earth.

Staring at the perfect snowy tranquility all around her, Kagami noticed the very faint traces of light from nearby villages peeking over the cliffs lining the edge of the lake. The people in the nearest town had said that the lake was a meteoric crater that flooded when the impact took a chunk of the adjacent river with it. Considering that the lake was at least a few kilometers across, Kagami really had to wonder how big the meteor had been. Well, she vaguely remembered hearing in school about how even a tiny meteor could output a staggering amount of destructive force, so maybe it wasn't such a big meteor.

_ Maybe it's still here, buried somewhere at the bottom of the lake. _

Kagami wasn't about to go free diving in a freezing lake for a space rock, so she just left it as a thought. As another squall of chilling wind washed over her, she picked up her noodles and hungrily ate all of them to warm herself up again. Once that wasn't enough, she picked up the glassy rock she had collected from three months ago, channeled magic into it, and felt it start to warm up in her hands.

She had discovered this by complete accident, but the rock was highly sensitive to magic, and expressed that sensitivity in the form of releasing heat when stimulated. This was proof to her that some things simply had a predetermined affinity for magic, but her knowledge on the topic was so limited that she didn't want to jump to any conclusions yet. All that mattered was that while the rock was unable to heat up to a point that could ignite anything - or at least, not at Kagami's current power level - it served as an effectively free source of warmth.

The crystal started glowing like charcoal as waves of warmth pulsed from it, warming Kagami's shivering form. Wrapping herself in her cape, Kagami looked to the stars again and wondered how cold it was out there, in the endless expanse of the cosmos. Her dear friend was out there somewhere, doing something Kagami had no idea about. She was cold right now, but Kagura was probably somewhere even colder.

Silently, she prayed that Kagura was warm, wherever she was. Climbing into her tent, bundling up, and closing her eyes with the heat of her magic stone keeping her warm, Kagami couldn't help but envision that Kagura was right beside her, embracing her and keeping her warm. So, Kagami somehow hoped that some of that warmth would reach Kagura in return.

_ All I can do now is hope you're warm. But...oh, what I would give to be able to share warmth together again, like we used to. _

_ Twelve months in… _

Kagami's boots made crunching sounds as she took long strides through the snow, feeling the sensation of snowflakes gently falling onto her and melting. It had been maybe half a day since she had arrived in this village, which was sophisticated enough to be considered more like a town or a very small city. Nothing like Stohle, but still boasting tall concrete buildings and many stores, lining streets bustling with people and rudimentary vehicles.

The travelling girl lamented at the fact that despite this town being far bigger and more advanced than the villages she grew up in, she didn't feel as much awe as she had when she had seen modern civilization the first few times. The countless large buildings brightly lit by electrical lights still impressed her, but they would no longer fill her heart with unadulterated wonder. She supposed that as she kept travelling the world and seeing different civilizations, she'd probably become harder to impress.

Her stomach growled, and she sighed in annoyance. Sometimes, she wondered how nice it'd be if she never got hungry, but that was just wishful thinking. Noticing a dimly lit bakery nearby, Kagami decided to head over and get some food for the night.

The door let out a pleasant jingle as she opened it, immediately greeted by the tantalizing smell of freshly-baked bread. A myriad of baskets held a wide variety of baked goods, and Kagami was eager to jump in and start choosing some.

Grabbing a tray and a pair of tongs, Kagami checked the prices, did some budgeting, and made a mental priority list of what she really wanted. Once she had finished all of that, she went around the store and picked out all the appropriate pieces of bread, before shuffling into the lineup to the cashier.

The lineup was unusually long, with no shortage of disgruntled shuffling that shoved her around a little, but Kagami was a patient girl. About halfway through the line, a man came from behind the counter and informed the cashier about how the latest batch of goods were ready, only for the cashier to brush it off and say that their stocks could be refilled later. Once it was her turn, however, the cashier seemed to wince before deciding that this was the perfect time to restock the store.

"Excuse me." Kagami said as politely as she could. "That can wait, can't it? There's still quite a bit of bread in stock."

She got a venomous glare in response. "You don't get to decide what can wait and what can't. You'll get your turn eventually, so can it and wait patiently!"

Kagami grit her teeth and sucked it up. She had spent so much time in the wild over the last year that her physical frailty often seemed like the only reminder that she was still cursed. This was a comparatively small instance of it taking effect, but it still annoyed her nonetheless. Even more frustrating was that even though the cashier had snapped at her in public, nobody else had batted an eye - in fact, the people in line behind her started giving her glares, as if  _ she  _ were the one causing the holdup.

So, Kagami waited until the cashier finished, and then paid for her bread before leaving in an irate huff. The moment she stepped outside, she found out that the snowfall had turned into freezing rain - the sheets of almost-frozen water instantly soaking her clothes and letting a harsh chill enter her body. Realizing her cape was safely tucked away in her luggage, Kagami used her low-power magic to project a very weak barrier above her head, which nonetheless blocked a good portion of the rain.

The inn she had rented a room at was some ways away, and Kagami did not want to get thoroughly soaked. Noticing a cafe nearby, Kagami quickly ducked under its overhead balcony to seek shelter. Using magic to wring out as much water from her clothes as she could manage, Kagami waited out the rain until it became gentle snowfall again - in the span of twenty minutes, no less.

_ Nature really can be fickle, huh? _

Setting off back onto a road now logged with wet snow and shallow puddles, Kagami took in the sounds and sights of the snowy nighttime town. Many of the stores were closing, but she still passed by restaurants full of chatting people, large markets bustling with eager shoppers, towering apartments, and various other public service buildings - their lights dimly illuminating a cold land darkened by a cloudy nighttime sky.

Stopping by a convenience store, Kagami noticed a glowing vending machine and decided to go buy a hot drink to warm herself up. As she waited for the machine to dispense her drink, she unconsciously reached into her bag and took a bite out of the first piece of bread she could find - and choked as the familiar taste of a milky sweet roll graced her palate.

Despite herself, she couldn't help but crack a wide smile. Evidently, while there were some things that'd grow less exciting over time, there would always be some things in the world that would never fail to amaze her. And no matter what happened, sources of happiness would always exist, waiting to be found.

Laughing quietly to herself, Kagami continued on her trip. The chill of the snowy night consumed her as the falling snow gently caressed her cheek, the familiar environment filling her mind with philosophical musings and surreal dreams. But inexplicably, it also gave her a feeling that she didn't feel very often.

_ Why...do I feel hope? _

_ Fifteen months in… _

As the sun beat down on her from above, Kagami sat down heavily beneath a tree, basking in the wind as it cooled down her tired body. All around her, warm knee-length grass poked at her legs as she stretched out, letting her muscles rest after an hour of hiking.

While she was thankful that the land wasn't exploding with volcanoes or anything of that level, a region where tectonic plates met still wasn't the greatest place to traverse. The local settlers had told her that there hadn't been significant tectonic activity in decades, but what activity  _ had  _ happened had warped the land, leaving behind a multitude of scars and mountains created from the colliding plates. The power of the earth had sundered the land like it had been water...sometimes, realizing exactly how powerful nature was made Kagami shudder.

She took a short drink of water from her canteen before looking up at the rolling hills before her. Constant exercise and an attempt to maintain a balanced diet had helped alleviate the bodily effects of her curse, but she was still a lot physically weaker than someone her age was supposed to be. However, this didn't seem to have an effect on her resilience - Kagami would always just take things slow and steady, not letting anything stop her advance no matter how slowly she had to take it.

Still, she was getting sick of hiking over the rugged inclines. She had tried to use wind magic to help her, but while she had improved a lot from a year ago, its success rate was still dubious at best. For the specific task of flight, she hadn't found an exact chain of thoughts that'd let her fly freely, nor did she trust she had the power or consistency to actually pull it off - and she wasn't about to accidentally kill herself trying to fly. For now, she was content to use magic and bolster her physical strength as much as she could - it wasn't a perfect solution, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Once she had rested for long enough, Kagami spent the next hour trekking over the boundary created by one of the many tectonic collisions that had shaped this land. She ended up trying to use wind magic to traverse short distances, but she could only maintain her focus for a few seconds before falling.  _ What can I think of that will make me truly fly? _

Exhausted once again after her journey, Kagami ate some of the sandwiches she had prepared in advance, before deciding on a whim that since the environment was pretty open, now would be a good time to practice a little bit of magic.

Donning Kagura's cape, Kagami took a deep breath and raised her hands, following her friend's instructions from years ago and letting the ambient magic around her seep into her body. Then, she began her practice session - drawing from her memories to fuel her powers, trying once more to see which forms of offensive magic she was more attuned to.

Kagami pictured the flames of a volcanic landscape bursting forth from the earth, and a wave of flame surged from her fingertips. Imagining the cold of the winter blizzard enveloping her, she lashed out with icy-cold jets that froze the surrounding vegetation. Picturing the storm of the Lord of Lightning let her channel thunderbolts, visualizing the starry sky let her project miniature comets of astral light, and recalling the feeling of being above the clouds gave rise to a powerful gust. 

Using the various memories her mind could conjure, she lashed out at the world around her, tearing through the grass and stirring up gusts of wind. She understood that different types of magic existed, but offensive magic was the type that she was most inclined to practice. Perhaps deep within her, a part of her wished to lash out at the world in which she struggled, blowing it away in an act of defiance.

All of this sounded incredible, but while her magical bursts had been flashy, they lacked any real power behind them. Right after casting, Kagami nearly fainted from exertion, panting heavily and falling to one knee. No matter how good she was at channeling magic or visualizing thoughts to act as her conduits, the fact that her body couldn't store a lot of magic was still a problem. Even with Kagura's cape, her stores were limited - it didn't matter if she had the will and conductivity to make her wishes reality, if she lacked the actual power to do so. It was mildly infuriating, but Kagami was still hopeful - that just meant she'd have to find something to store more magic for her.

Once she had recharged, she decided to picture some memories without any knowledge of what they'd cause when combined with magic. For her first test, she recalled when she had taken Kagura's second curse, how painful it had felt to have her body practically torn apart, and how strained her heart had been to hear Kagura pleading for her survival. Responding to the agonized memory, her magic reached out around her, grabbing every loose object within a few meters. With a clench of her fist, Kagami contracted the invisible aura, causing all of the grabbed objects to shudder and slowly break apart as they were crushed by magical force. The force exerted surpassed what Kagami had normally been capable of - it made sense that a painful memory would cause her magic to become more destructive.

Merely recalling that memory made her feel tired, but it had given her another idea. This time, she pictured Kagura herself - the shining warrior with a soft heart, the one who'd do everything to protect her despite being so far above her. She imagined the princess was beside her, ready to defend her from anything that'd harm her and to embrace her when it was all over. And she imagined herself reaching out, preparing to do the same for the one she cared the most about.

The air hummed as her magic responded to her call. The invisible aura around her warped slightly, then coalesced into about a dozen floating blades made of shimmering golden light and wreathed in an aura of silvery-blue mist. Tiny sparks of gold and silver danced around their edges - if Kagami looked closely enough, they almost resembled the falling petals of some mystical flower.

"W-Whoa…" Kagami breathed aloud as she hesitantly reached out to the blades, recoiling once she felt a strong warmth resonating from within them. Raising her hand, she commanded the blades to swirl above her, before raining down on the terrain. The blades dug themselves into the earth...before exploding violently with  _ far  _ more power than Kagami had been anticipating, to the point where they seemed to shake the earth.

_ What? That's far more power than I've ever managed to output. Are those blades absorbing more magic from their surroundings? I didn't imagine anything like that...it just sort of happened on its own. What did I do? _

It really felt like Kagura was standing beside her, lending her the strength of someone who had been a princess, a warrior, a demigod, and a deity in one lifetime. Kagami couldn't help but giggle a little - the thought alone already made her feel less alone.

However, her good mood was quickly extinguished by a deep rumble coming from beneath the ground. Stumbling slightly, Kagami gasped as the earth groaned, and then began to  _ shift. _

In a panic, Kagami grabbed her belongings and ran as fast as she could, adrenaline pumping through her bloodstream as a deep roar echoed from all around her. As the ground began to rupture and split, her jaw dropped in awe and horror as the earth groaned, shook...and  _ stood up. _

Blocking out the sun, a titanic turtle-like quadrupedal beast loomed over her, towering over even the tectonic boundary despite not being fully standing yet. Vegetation grew all over its stony skin, and Kagami saw that the surrounding plains and trees had all been part of its shelled back. The earth groaned in protest as the creature slowly stretched its legs, sloughing off tons of earth and rock that crashed to the ground around a flabbergasted Kagami.

Kagami could do little but try and slowly inch away from the creature. The thing was a few hundred meters tall  _ at the least -  _ it was a veritable living landscape. She had heard stories about how giant beasts had once roamed this region, but the nearest townsfolk had assured her that they hadn't been encountered for a while!

_ The locals said that these things had been dormant for ages! Were they trying to get me killed, or did they actually not realize they were still awake down there? _

Given that the "locals" all lived a good distance away from this entire region, this was almost certainly either an ill-mannered prank for a clueless traveller, an attempt to get her killed, or both. As Kagami frantically thought of a way to escape this situation, the creature poked an armored, reptilian head out of its shell. A beaklike maw big enough to effortlessly crush or even  _ swallow  _ a large house slowly creaked open, exposing teeth that were more akin to rocky crags than anything. Then, a deep bellow echoed from within, the force physically knocking Kagami down as a pair of massive, reptilian eyes slid open with an audible sound, somewhere between a slimy peeling noise and the cracking of rocks.

Jets of steam burst from the beast's nostrils as it surveyed the area, its eyes clearly trying to adjust to the brightness of the surface. Bending down, it lowered its head to the ground, fixating its gaze on the ant-sized human who had awakened it.

Faced with the gaze of an eyeball the size of a building, Kagami was utterly paralyzed with fear. What was about to happen? Did this thing want vengeance for being rudely awakened? She didn't seem nearly big enough to even be considered a morsel for such a creature…

But before she could do anything, the beast narrowed its eyes and let out an almost irate huff, the wind blowing Kagami's hair askew. Turning away, it let out another groan and started sinking back into the dirt.

Kagami breathed a sigh of relief. She would have been a goner if that thing wanted her to be one, but evidently it was somewhat docile. Did it just want to continue sleeping?

This sense of relief was shattered yet again by another, much more violent quake. Kagami barely had time to try and form a magical shield before an explosive force sent her flying a dozen meters away, the explosion the herald of another titanic creature bursting out of the earth. This one was a little smaller but far less friendly-looking - with rubbery greyish skin, countless chitinous spines in place of limbs, and a grotesquely oversized, plated head with countless tentacles spilling forth from all over it. Two milky blank eyes bulged from their sockets, framing a vertical maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. Kagami involuntarily screamed at the sight - this thing had just set off every single fight-or-flight trigger in her being.

It clearly didn't like that. Letting out a screech that nearly shattered her eardrums, the leviathan turned towards Kagami and advanced on her, its countless limbs shredding the earth as it moved. And judging from the veritable gallons of saliva spilling forth from its horrific maw, this one  _ definitely  _ didn't think Kagami was too small to be food.

However, while Kagami had evidently angered this titan, the one from before seemed even angrier with the newcomer. Apparently, while Kagami was too small to be a significant disturbance, this thing definitely was.

With a mighty shout, the earthen reptile lowered its head and slammed into the slithering beast, the resulting shock wave pushing the low clouds away. An unholy screech ran through the air as it grabbed the tentacled monster with its beak, biting down hard enough to puncture its flesh. In retaliation, it lashed out with its tentacles, latching onto the stone giant's skin and tearing away at it.

As the two behemoths battled, poor Kagami could do nothing but run for her life, trying not to get crushed, speared, or otherwise killed as collateral. Praying that her eardrums would survive the cacophony of unholy screaming and the sounds of earth being sundered like sand, she eventually managed to escape the most dangerous zone and make it to elevated ground again.

Panting heavily and turning around, Kagami saw the earthen titan tear more tentacles off its enemy with its beak, before slamming it into the ground using its head. With a final scream, the tentacled titan tore its way back into the ground, disappearing in a shower of earth and uprooted vegetation.

Content, the victor let out another blast of steam as it sighed, slowly lowering itself back into the now-ruined land. But now that the earth within a few kilometers had been sundered, Kagami saw something that made her blood go cold. Their appearances varied quite a bit, but in the craters left behind from the battle, Kagami could clearly see countless more of these titanic creatures, lying asleep.

They were everywhere. These creatures didn't just inhabit this land. They  _ were  _ the land. Soon, the stone titan would go to sleep again, and Kagami trusted that the natural processes of the world would eventually undo the damage of the battle, leaving no trace behind.

_ The terrain damage isn't just from the tectonics! It's from these...things awakening and burying themselves over time! Even if they really are dormant most of the time, it's a miracle life can even grow here! Wait...or these things could somehow be helping sustain the ecosystem, but… _

She didn't want to dwell any further on that. She could do that later, after she got the hell out of this place and was no longer at risk of instant death.

_ Eighteen months in… _

The wind whistled around Kagami, blowing her hair every which way and making it look like she had just gotten out of bed only to be electrocuted. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air blowing around her, she kept a solid grip on the map in her hands as she mapped out her course for the next few days, trying her best to wrap herself in her cape without any hands.

Over the last eighteen months, she had seen all manner of insane and fantastic new lands, so a comparatively regular one was always welcome. She had already set up camp on lower ground, so there was really no reason for her to climb up this cliff besides to see the view.

And what a view it was. At least a hundred meters below her, turbulent waters crashed against the rocky cliff, churning up gallons of seafoam with every passing second. Further away, grassy islets rose out of the water, their surfaces eroded by a lifetime of being ground away by the raging waters. The sun was just about to set, and its waning light painted both the sky and the sea a brilliant gold. Combined with the faintly salty freshness of the high-altitude seaside wind, it was an experience so sublime that Kagami instantly made a point to save the memory using her cape.

Looking down at the churning water far below and hearing the roar of the ocean, Kagami felt a twinge of primal fear as she was once again reminded of how powerful the forces of nature were. But as powerful as nature was, Kagami had learned that the creatures of Lurie would always learn to coexist with it, no matter how harsh it was. She couldn't see them, but below the surface, she knew that countless marine creatures thrived - eating vegetation, scraping the seabed for leftovers, hunting down their fellow aquatic organisms, and everything in between. And countless birds made their homes amidst the grassy islets, unperturbed by the high winds and raging waters.

She had heard that some of the locals sometimes came to these islands to hunt birds, in a bizarre fashion that was akin to fishing in the sky with giant nets. It sounded oddly enjoyable to Kagami...but she didn't have a need to hunt birds, nor did she have a giant net. She was content to just enjoy the scenery, plan out the next part of her solitary journey, and then return to her campsite.

However, her peace was interrupted by an ear-splitting roar from above. Turning around in surprise, Kagami grit her teeth as she saw a dark beast breach the clouds and begin circling around the cliffs, gliding through the air as if it were water. Resembling an aerial fish of sorts, the streamlined creature sported shimmering translucent fins, a tail like that of a shark, and a muscled body covered in black chitinous armor. Its beady eyes searched the area as its serrated beak opened and closed, seemingly eager to dig into potential prey.

_ Wait, that thing looks familiar...no, I know what that is! It looks similar to that thing that attacked Kagura and I on that camping trip in Konis! When we were flying, it dived at us, and I made Kagura worry so much by nearly getting myself killed... _

Kagami was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt as it circled above her. While she often responded to most large creatures with fear, she had learned that most of the fauna in Lurie just wanted to be left alone. Her doubts were soon proven as the creature narrowed its eyes and started hungrily closing in on Kagami, all of its muscles tensing up in preparation.

But Kagami wasn't the same as the girl from all those years ago. Not only did she actually know how to use magic now, her travels had given her both insight and tactics on how to survive and defend herself despite her shortcomings. Reaching into her backpack, Kagami pulled out a cluster of thin objects - metal pins, once used for things like keeping tents in place, now repurposed into weapons. After thinking about ways she could inflict the most harm using the least magical power, Kagami had devised a brutally simple solution - light objects capable of applying a maximum force to a tiny area, namely small needles she would propel with magic.

Using magic to hold the myriad of pins in midair, Kagami's eyes quickly broke down her attacker. It was designed for speed and completely covered in armor, so regular attacks wouldn't work. In addition to the chinks between its shell, a few key points were vulnerable - its fins, its eyes, and the inside of its mouth.

And with that, Kagami had her targets. Using magic to spread the metal needles out in front of her, she observed the creature's vaguely slithering movements as it shot towards her. The second she saw it bend in a way that exposed a tiny bit of flesh, she made a swiping motion with her fingers, sending about half a dozen needles shooting into the gaps.

The creature screamed in pain as the metal spikes pierced its flesh and embedded themselves almost completely inside its body, leaving just enough metal sticking out to jam themselves in between its armor plates and impede its movement. Kagami was half hoping that this alone would be enough to drive it off, but her attack just seriously pissed it off. It continued its attack path with doubled ferocity, but its blazing speed had been severely hampered by her attack.

Pulling out another cluster of pins, Kagami threw them into the air before making a grasping motion with her hand. As the pins converged on her target, many of them missed and bounced off its carapace, but a few of them struck true and dug into its eyes. She didn't know if she had actually destroyed them, but the pins had definitely taken out its vision - the creature screamed again and broke off its approach, small trails of blood leaking from its various wounds. However, she was now out of pins - she hadn't expected she'd need this many on a simple sightseeing excursion.

With its eyesight taken out, Kagami hoped that it'd bugger off, but the beast simply snarled and started faintly glowing with an ethereal light, concentrated around its fins. Then, it started releasing a howling gale from its body, nearly pushing the slight girl away. As Kagami tried her best to hold her ground, the aerial behemoth turned directly towards her, screeched, and lunged.

_ Is it...using wind to sense me? Can it read air currents? _

Just as it was about to strike, Kagami ran to the right and summoned her own blast of wind to the left, trying her best to concentrate on mimicking the air currents flowing furiously around her. The creature didn't take the bait, but it faltered - just long enough for Kagami to leap out of the way as it struck hard, embedding its beak into the dirt. With a shout, she pulled out her last remaining weapon - her stun knife - and jammed it in between its armor plates. Her lack of strength meant that she could barely pierce its flesh, but it was still enough - she pressed and held the trigger to deliver a sustained shock, and used her magic to amplify the effects of the electric surge.

She wasn't expecting such a big creature to go down from a shock like that, but it still squealed and thrashed, throwing her off and sending the stun knife clattering to the ground. As Kagami roughly tumbled to a halt a dozen meters away or so, the armored predator propped itself up and snarled, its fins glowing as it took to the air once more. It was clearly on the verge of giving up, but apparently its anger had overtaken its senses.

Kagami was running out of options, and  _ really  _ running out of magic. The creature prepared to charge one last time, and Kagami decided to go for a decisive blow. Right as it lunged at her, jaws ready to snap her in half, Kagami took a deep breath...and visualized that Kagura was beside her, giving her strength.

_ Never forget me, because I'll never forget you. _

In response to this memory, her magic lashed out. The air coalesced into blades of golden light that randomly struck at everything in the vicinity, slashing at the incoming beast. While the initial strikes barely had enough force to embed the blades inside its shell, the blades promptly glowed, absorbed more ambient magic, and exploded. While the chitinous beast was strong enough to weather the blasts, one of them sheared off one of its fins, eliciting a surprised wail as the fin's former owner crashed to the ground.

As Kagami collapsed from exertion, the creature finally decided that it'd had enough. With a final screech, it took off back into the sky, its flight unsteady from the wounds caused by what it had thought was easy prey.

It was a surprise that Kagami hadn't passed out altogether, considering that using that technique tended to use up every last bit of magic Kagami had. Struggling to her feet, she brushed dirt off her tunic and started picking bits of grass off her leggings as she walked over to the fin the creature had left behind. It was a thin membrane about the size of a kite, shimmering with fading ethereal light. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched it, flinching slightly when she felt it resonate with the few motes of magic that remained within her. Much like the volcanic gem from before, she could tell that it was attuned with wind magic - it was probably one of the things that let that creature fly and use wind powers.

Kagami figured that something like that could come in handy eventually, so she rolled it up and tucked it beneath her arm with her map. Turning around to leave before she got jumped again, she felt the residual magic from her outburst starting to dissipate. Combined with the feeling of Kagura's presence in her magic cape, channeling the memories of her dearest friend made her truly feel as if Kagura were beside her, ready to hold her hand.

_...Do I keep calling her my friend? In that letter, she said…well, I also said... _

Kagami's face turned slightly pink at the thought, and she shook it off. For now, she was just glad that despite the distance between them, Kagami could at least  _ feel  _ like Kagura was always by her side, lending her the strength to overcome any obstacle.

_ Twenty-one months in… _

Kagami stared into the floating crystal, observing her heavily distorted reflection looking back at her from within the transparent structure. She could feel a kind of looming power coming from within the crystal, as if she would instantly disintegrate should she break it.

Among all the lands Kagami had visited over the last twenty-one months, this was one of the extreme oddities. While it only spanned a rough circle with a radius of about a few kilometers, the land was completely covered in white, crystalline sand, making it look like a combination between a desert and a snowfield. Stranger still were the dozens upon dozens of mysterious crystals floating all around the place, held in place by a mysterious force. They ranged from small enough to fit into Kagami's palm to large enough for her to comfortably live inside, and ranged from crude stones to flawless crystals. And all of them radiated with a bizarre power - not an overwhelming magical aura, but a more subdued one that nonetheless betrayed how much power they held within them.

Kagami had been stumped. There were locals living nearby, but not only had they been particularly unhelpful, none of them knew what was going on with this place. What had created all these crystals? Why did there appear to be nothing living here? Why did this place feel so...powerful? Kagami had half a mind to try and nab some of the smaller crystals to see what she could do with them, but she had a gut feeling that meddling with this place without any prior knowledge couldn't go well.

Leaping from crystal to crystal, Kagami traversed a small canyon, trying her best not to look down. However, the second she landed on the sandy ground on the other side, the earth shook as four explosions sent her flying amidst a shower of crystalline sand. Groggily standing up, she gasped and nearly choked on a mouthful of sand as she saw four massive crystalline beasts looming over her.

Given all the other wild things she had seen in Lurie, she really shouldn't have been surprised, but she had never seen anything quite like these beasts before. Each one was different, but they unmistakably resembled creatures she had seen before. But instead of flesh, leather, fur, or scales, their bodies were made of polished dark stone and faintly pulsing crystals of various colors.

One of them, a scorpion-like creature, pushed their cohorts aside and started chittering something that was unmistakably speech, but in a dialect that Kagami had no idea how to understand. Seeing this as a sign that these were  _ intelligent  _ and not just random creatures, Kagami stood up and tried for some small talk. "I-I come in peace."

Apparently they didn't like peace, because the scorpion hissed and grabbed Kagami by the arm, roughly dragging her with it as it started scuttling away. Kagami barely had enough time to grab onto her belongings - she felt like she was being pulled apart, but she managed.

Marching down an incline with their cohorts in tow, the scorpion dragged Kagami into a tunnel and through a network of gradually deepening stone passages within the earth. Kagami was still utterly bewildered by the string of events, but when they finally made it into open space again, she couldn't withhold a gasp of awe.

She had no idea how deep she was now, but it was a whole new world. The previously caverns, dimly lit by small glowing gems, were now brightly illuminated by hundreds of mystical crystals. These gems were special somehow - not only were they more beautiful than any Kagami had ever seen before, they radiated immense amounts of power, enough to make the very air seem heavier with magical pressure. And all around them, dozens upon dozens of crystalline creatures roamed the caves, ranging from rocky behemoths to gemstone pixies.

_ What's going on here? This...isn't just a regular cave, or even a regular tribe! _

As they continued moving through the caves and along crystal bridges, things simultaneously got even weirder and more breathtaking. Cohesive monoliths of multicolored crystals started popping up here and there, massive gems around them refracted light to form infinite fractals within their flawless facets, and the walls were studded with what looked like intricate flowers formed of unblemished clear crystal. Even the dark stone itself seemed to start taking on a polished sheen. Whatever this was, it had to be deliberate - nature was amazing, but even it had a limit to what it could make!

Kagami was so caught up in the scenery that she barely noticed when the scorpion released its grip on her. Stumbling to the ground, Kagami got up as quickly as possible - only to realize that she now had an audience.

Compared to the beings that she had seen earlier, the ones surrounding her now were far more alien - instead of resembling creatures of the surface, many of them were merely geometric clusters of multicolored glowing gems. Instead of having sparks of magic within them like the creatures from before, their crystals seemed to be filled with some kind of fluid that sparkled gently.

And hovering above a thronelike construction of iridescent gems, one particular being dominated the room with their presence. In terms of appearance, they weren't too different from the others in the room - a huge, octahedral crystal of unparalleled clarity, with an array of smaller crystals hovering silently around them and what looked like a diamond-shaped halo hovering above them. An odd core-like structure was suspended in the center of the crystal - another octahedron roughly the size of a barrel, with differently-colored crystal protrusions sticking out from each facet of the structure. At the center of the core, an unusual liquid gently bubbled and shimmered as it changed colors, bathing the surroundings in a lambent light that seemed to be actively trying to put Kagami at ease.

However, there was something about it that deeply unsettled Kagami. From the fact that its magical pressure was creating an almost audible buzz in her ears, to the countless veins of light radiating from the ground beneath it before snaking into the walls, to the rippling energy discharges creating fractal-like arcs within the jewel, it was painfully easy to tell that whatever this thing was, it was  _ immensely  _ powerful. The only times Kagami had felt something that even came close to the level of magical power she felt in this chamber were in the presence of Fulgurus and Kagura - both of whom were effectively demigods. Whatever this thing was, the only reason it hadn't instantly reduced her to a pile of dust was because it had chosen not to.

Rhythmic light pulsed from within the crystal as it made a noise like that sounded like stony chittering. When Kagami failed to respond, it shuddered and made another sound, this time in something that sounded like a voice speaking in some foreign language. This repeated several times before the crystalline being finally managed to say something Kagami understood.

"Human. Do you understand this?"

The thing's voice was regal, deep, and totally composed. Kagami felt like it was coming from all around her - and while it wasn't very loud, it somehow still made her entire body seem to vibrate just from hearing it.

Figuring she might as well play along, Kagami nodded to convey her understanding. "W-What are you? Where is this place? Why did you take me here?"

The crystals around the entity swirled hypnotically as it spoke again. "We have no name to speak of, so you may call me whatever you wish. You are in our home - a land made of flawless crystal, inhabited by being of flawless crystal. I am the ruler of this place, and all of those living here are my children."

In response, all the crystal creatures around her pulsed rhythmically as if to salute their lord. Kagami just gulped and cut straight to the chase: "Okay, that's great and all, but why did you take me here?"

If the crystalline monarch had eyes, it surely would have narrowed them. "Let me tell you a story. One day, I was the only one within these caverns. The process of my sparking into existence is beyond even I, and the purpose of my creation is an even bigger mystery. I was blessed with power - enough power to carve these subterranean chambers into my home. However, I soon grew lonely by myself, and decided to venture to the surface."

Admittedly intrigued, Kagami decided to entertain the mysterious being's monologue. "The surface was blindingly bright, but beautiful. My power extends only to the minerals of the earth - seeing so much life, so much vibrancy in the world above drove me to strive to match it. Over time, I practiced creating life from stone - and over time, I learned, grew, and adapted. Soon, I became adept at creating life, and I birthed countless wonders - vibrant life, made from flawless crystal. Each and every one of them my treasured children. Some even grew strong enough to amass their own magical power, becoming leaders who took charge of maintaining our people."

All of the creatures around them bowed to their creator in response to this.

"But it was not made to last." the being said, almost sadly. "We learned more about the beings we shared this land with - but many did not welcome us. Far too many creatures, greedy for the beauty and power of our gems, attacked and raided us constantly. Even with our attempts for peace...they came regardless. So I decided that we would seal ourselves away from the surface, and create an empire beneath the earth using its ambient magic. And what an empire it was - expanding far beyond this region, our power even extends to the surface at its epicenter. Soon, this world you see before you came into existence by our combined powers - but still, they came for us. We have established defenses, retreated underground, and fought off every last being who had wanted to destroy and plunder our world, but they never stop."

"Ah...I see." Kagami muttered. "I'm sorry for that."

The Crystal Lord - Kagami decided to just call them that from now on - flashed red in response. "We do not need your sympathy. You humans are the worst of them all - driven by greed, humans have constantly come for us, hungry for riches and obsessed with the superficial value our crystals hold to them. They destroy my kingdom, kill my children, and plunder both the rubble and the corpses. And you...you even dare to bear the symbol of the one who nearly wiped us out some time ago! But I am not without reason. With my arts, I will scour your mind - a human mind can hide nothing from me. If you truly are as malicious as the others, I will  _ erase you where you stand." _

Kagami gulped and tried not to tremble too much as the Crystal Lord's core started glowing with harsh radiation, trapping her in a circle of magical energy. As tendrils of black light started snaking out from within the massive gem and penetrating into her mind, Kagami began to feel an uncomfortable sensation, like she was being microwaved. But a mere sixty seconds later, the Lord released her from their arts.

"...It appears I have misjudged you." the crystalline entity muttered, almost in disbelief. "I was not expecting you to be truly innocent. You entered our land not out of malice or greed, but merely by chance. You are the first one in a long, long time."

Kagami breathed a sigh of belief. She seldom encountered sentient non-human creatures, so she often forgot a loophole in the curse - it apparently made all humans want to instinctively hate her, but it didn't do anything to  _ non-humans. _ She had discovered this a month ago after encountering a tribe of strange beast-people - not only had they been docile, they had actually been outright friendly to her despite each party not understanding a word the other said.

As the crystal scorpion chittered to its leader, the Crystal Lord tilted its body in a vaguely bow-like motion as its followers did the same. "...We sincerely apologize for putting you through all of this. We were definitely hasty, but we had valid reason to suspect you - my cohort noticed you looked similar to an enemy we had faced recently. Rest assured, you will be released immediately, human."

"Wait a second." Kagami replied, raising her hands. "You said I bear the symbol of an enemy who nearly wiped you out a while ago. Can you...tell me about it?"

For a second, the Lord seemed to hesitate, but it flickered in agreement. "...Very well. It was perhaps a few years ago by your time, but a particularly strong band of humans discovered our territory through a nearby human mine. Blasting open an entrance to our kingdom, they swarmed us with blade and sorcery, their power far greater than the messy thieves that normally appeared there. This well-trained army was hell-bent on looting as many crystals as possible...we sent out all the defenses we could muster, and I myself joined the battle as well. But there was one human whose terrifying power surpassed the rest of them, adorned in a cape like the one you wear now."

Kagami cut him off. "Silver hair, gold eyes, and shiny platinum armor? Kind of on the smaller side for a soldier? Used really flashy light attacks?"

"That...is absolutely correct." the Crystal Lord said incredulously. "How did you know that?"

"I know who you're talking about. She…is my dearest friend."

Kagami knew that she was running the risk of inciting the crystalline creatures' wrath, but it had come instinctively. With how much she had adored Kagura - and still adored Kagura - it felt like a sin to call her anything else.

"I...see." the Crystal Lord rumbled. "Do you know...why she did this?"

"She was in the service of a kingdom that sought to exploit her powers for their own gain. But I assure you, while she must've been terrifying in combat...before that, she was the greatest friend a person like me could have ever wished for."

Utter silence outside of the clinking of jewels. Then, the Crystal Lord let out a sound that sounded vaguely like a sigh. "Well...that's in the past now. Despite looking so young, that girl was able to fight even with me for much of our battles. Regardless, we eventually managed to drive them out and seal the exit - but the damage was done. Countless of my children perished during their campaign, and we lost a large amount of our kingdom - harvested for their own needs. I imagine whatever kingdom led the attack must have so many of our precious gems now…"

A few pieces clicked together in Kagami's brain as she realized why some of the crystals had looked familiar. Reaching into her bag, she dug through the satchel of unnaturally lustrous gems that served as her financial lifeline, presenting one to the Lord. "Is this one of yours?"

The massive crystalline entity flashed bright white in surprise as their cohorts all flinched, crackling with energy. "You...how did you get those?"

"My friend gave them to me before she...left." Kagami muttered. Now that she knew that Lucia had forcibly seized these from creatures that just wanted to be left alone, she wanted to give them back to their rightful owner. But these gems were the thing keeping her from going broke, and thus the thing keeping her journey from coming to an abrupt halt. Even if it was wrong...could she afford to give them up?

However, the Crystal Lord had been using magic this entire time, and saw right through Kagami. "Human, I see your thoughts. I understand that you depend on those to survive...and you have a certain attachment to them. Was this friend of yours truly so special?"

Kagami instantly snapped back, not even bothering to mind her tone. "She was!"

"...Well, by all means, you can keep them." the Crystal Lord replied, seemingly amused by her outburst. "Those ones are relatively inconsequential to us, all things considered. The very fact that your mind immediately considered giving these back to me showed us that your heart was incomparable to those who would try and accost us. In fact...what is your name?"

"...My name is Kagami."

"...Kagami." the mineralized monarch muttered. "You are truly a curious one. Even reading your magic...it is quite different than the norm, to say the least. But regardless, as a token of appreciation for your goodwill, and as an apology for so rudely capturing you, please take this."

Streamers of light flowed from the crystals orbiting the Crystal Lord, coalescing into a dagger-sized mass. When the light subsided, only an octahedral crystal remained, floating into Kagami's hands.

"What...is this?" Kagami asked in disbelief. The crystal occasionally rippled with pale light, but it was otherwise completely, unnaturally clear. Just from touching it, she could feel an immense power locked within it...but for some reason, it was so tightly sealed within the magical crystal that she felt herself unable to even draw on it.

The Crystal Lord emitted a harmonious rumble that could only be described as a laugh. "It's a little bit of my power. As for its purpose, not even I know. It's up to you to find out how to use it in a way that benefits you. I believe a bit of unpredictability makes things more exciting, hm?"

Kagami wasn't sure about the last part, but she bowed to them anyway. "Thank you. I will graciously accept this gift."

"My children will show you out." the Crystal Lord told her. "You shan't waste any more of your time loitering here. Go out, continue on your journey. We may never meet again...but we're always watching the surface with great interest, so maybe we will."

Kagami bowed to the subterranean ruler again, before following the lead of the scorpion-like beast. Right before she left, the Crystal Lord spoke one last time.

"...Take care, Kagami. The kindhearted and good-natured are becoming increasingly uncommon in this world. Your heart is a precious jewel, so treat it as such."

Kagami smiled a little, before frowning slightly.  _ Am I really...such a good person? _

Without anyone to be kind to her or anyone she could be kind to, Kagami had definitely become a lot more selfish than she had used to be. Yet some things hadn't changed...but were those enough to still qualify her to be a good person?

Then the thought instantly faded away, as the only proof she needed resurfaced in her mind.

_...Kagura had certainly thought so. _

_ Two years in… _

At the base of a cliff eroded by ancient storms, the sun-warmed winds swept over a city of metal and steam, filling all those hard at work outdoors with a profound sense of satisfaction. And standing at the edge of a cliffside balcony, hair golder than the sunset blowing freely in the wind, a girl cursed by fate stood resolute.

_...Two years? Two years went by so quickly... _

She had come a long way from the hapless girl who had brazenly set out on a quest to fulfil her missing companion's final wish. Over the last two years, she had seen so much, growing from each and every experience she had undergone. She had grown stronger, wiser, more experienced in dealing with the challenges the world had to offer. She had felt joy, sadness, hope, despair, and just about everything a solitary traveler could feel. And her journey had reaffirmed her core beliefs - the world could be harsh, it's people cruel, but it could still be beautiful regardless.

Leaning over the balcony, Kagami took another look at the city laid out before her. It wasn't as advanced as Stohle, but it was still a land of rustic bricks and steam-powered machinery. Huge factories spewed out columns of steam, flanking streets with motor-powered vehicles transporting hundreds of people every second. Everything was moving, but besides the constant hiss of steam, everything was so quiet and calm, with no agitation or disturbance in sight _. _ From her vantage point in the observatory built into a cliffside overlooking the city, it gave the city an interesting appearance - an unsleeping city at sunset, ever-still yet ever-moving.

Her stomach growled, and Kagami decided it was time to get a bite to eat. Travelling down to sea level using a mechanical elevator, Kagami wandered the streets of the steampunk city before finding a restaurant by the shore. Naturally, the waiter wasn't too pleased to serve her, but business was business. If there was one thing that could transcend a dark god's curse, it was commerce.

Kagami sat by the shore, watching the water and hungrily devouring her tomato pasta. For a while, she was content to watch the rolling waves in silence, soaking in the sounds of water splashing onto the beach mixing with the murmuring chatter of the city folk. But eventually, after she finished her meal, she couldn't help but head over to the beach, before taking off her footwear and outright taking a few steps into the cold water.

The chill sent a shock up her spine, but it was comfortable nonetheless. Entranced by the waves lapping at her and the soft sand beneath her feet, Kagami continued wading out until she was up to her knees in water. From her new position, Kagami could see past the endless expanse of water to the other side of the lake, where a grand city resided - her next, and possibly final destination.

Throughout her journey, Kagami had scoured the world for anything she could use to make herself stronger - and after visiting a local cartographer's shop, she had finally found it. The city of Aidi...a huge, prosperous kingdom-city which prided itself on its incredible strides in magic research and practice. But the main thing that had caused Kagami's jaw to drop was the fact that not only was magic highly respected there, it was  _ mandatory  _ to learn it. The elders of the city held a strong belief that everyone had both a right and responsibility to learn how to use the power granted to them by the world - and to fulfil this goal, they had established a number of magic academies, which would  _ accept anyone free of charge. _ Naturally, this attracted many aspiring seekers, and Kagami was about to become the newest one.

She could tell that this was it. Now, she had a way to truly hone her magic outside of sloppily improving it using her own experience. If she managed to attend this academy and learn everything it had to offer, this could be a key to unlocking further power, or even just becoming adept enough to somehow rise through the world. Sure, it'd be hard, and Kagami's dwindling funds meant that she might have to start running some jobs too, but Kagami was more than willing to take the leap.

_ Kagura...are you proud? I've finally found it...a way to make my dreams come true! _

Kagami sighed, looking to the slowly darkening sky. Kagura...where was she now? She couldn't even imagine what she was like now that she was a cosmic goddess. In her heart, Kagami's spirit still depended on the memory of Kagura to sustain herself - she had become more self-reliant over the last two years, but the heartache never truly subsided. Kagura's last wish was still her shining beacon in the sky…she had not yet been able to truly fight for her own sake. Her magic cape and her photographic memory served to alleviate her loneliness, but she still yearned for Kagura's companionship again.

Companionship...thinking about it reminded her of Kagura's final message. And whenever she remembered the implications of said message, she would feel the blood rush to her face a little.

_ Then you love her too. It's that easy. _

She loved Kagura? It sounded so obvious, yet so difficult to understand. What even was love? Was Kagami qualified for something so serious? Was it even possible to love someone who was probably light-years away? Hell, the fact that she  _ liked a girl _ to begin with was the least confusing of her thoughts. The mere notion of her feelings for Kagura had raised countless questions, and answering them hadn't gotten any easier over the last two years.

But a part of Kagami wanted to just roll with it. Whatever it was called, thinking about Kagura and the memories they had made together filled her heart with a reassuring warmth that couldn't be described by any emotions Kagami could think of on the spot. An inexplicable, incomprehensible feeling that made her feel like all was well in the world, a desire to cherish and protect that adorable kindhearted girl, and an equally large desire for Kagura to cherish and protect her in turn...to describe something so complex and confusing, surely only an equally complex and confusing word like love would do. So, Kagami guessed...she really did just love Kagura.

Looking to the sky once more, Kagami reached out as if to caress the heavens themselves. "Watch me, Kagura. I made a commitment to you, and I am going to fulfil it. So take care of yourself - eventually, one day, we'll see each other again!"

Kagami could almost see Kagura's beaming smile. Somewhere in space, Kagura was out there, doing something only a deity could. Was she smiling at this moment? Kagami wanted to believe her proclamation had transcended the boundaries of time and space, reaching the one she cherished with all her heart.

_ Hah...such an odd thought. I guess I am still a child in some ways. _

Smiling to herself, Kagami walked back towards the shore and prepared to settle for the night.

Every step she took, a stride towards a future that already seemed a little bit brighter than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many reference images were used for inspiration.
> 
> I had watched a bunch of _The Journey of Elaina_ while writing this chapter, but I wanted to put more emphasis on the environments and Kagami's interactions with them rather than the civilizations she encountered. It's another reminder that I should really stop being lazy and get to watching _Kino's Journey_ as well.
> 
> I'm not sure if I made Kagami seem a little too strong here, since she's still supposed to be pretty weak. I'm just rolling with two assumptions: that she's still very resilient despite her physical frailty, and that while she can use magic now, it's not particularly powerful outside of a single "burst" attack that will likely soon be proven to be unreliable.


	8. Fading Stars along a Lonely Road, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Once a mortal, now among the stars._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this took a lot less time than I was expecting.
> 
> Kagura's chapters will be more like interludes, so they're pretty much all going to be quite a bit shorter and less detailed than Kagami's.

_Mere hours after Kagura's ascension..._

Kagura's eyes fluttered open as a small yawn escaped her lips. Rather than the ceiling of an ornate bedroom, or even the pure blue of the sky, she was greeted with darkness. Pitch-black darkness in all directions, speckled with the twinkling of a million stars.

Her mind was a little fuzzy. She remembered ascending past the clouds, beyond the atmosphere, and outside the reaches of the planet...and then everything had gone dark. She had remembered feeling an incredible, scorching pain from _something_ that had happened to her, one that had made her feel like her whole body was melting. But even that lasted for what felt like a minute at most. Now, she felt relatively normal - even her attire and equipment had remained the same - but it took her a few seconds to fully realize the gravity of her current situation.

_Am I...a Celestial now?_

Despite the fact that she was in space, she was still breathing - she didn't even know if anything was entering her lungs, but she still felt the unmistakable sensation of breathing. She felt lighter, warmer, more _powerful._ When she tried moving around, she found that she could float through space effortlessly. In fact, _effortless_ was the word that could describe the whole experience - every action she took now felt weightless, as if she was using absolutely no strength to move her body.

Gazing around at the vastness of space, her eyes were drawn to a blue glow in front of her. Hovering closer to it curiously, she saw that the glow came from a small blue sphere, roughly three centimeters across. She inspected it closely, but upon noticing the familiar patterns strewn across the sphere, as well as the massive fireball glowing brightly in the distance, several pieces in her mind clicked together as her eyes widened in utter shock.

It was _Earth._ The blue orb was small enough to fit snugly between her fingers, but she could make out the oceans, the four continents, the icy poles, and even some of the larger landmarks. That little blue marble was the home of billions of people...and mere hours ago, she had been among them.

Kagura's head spun. She had heard vague myths about how astronomically huge the Celestials were, but it had never truly occurred to her that _she'd_ be like this too after ascending. Despite her heart having been hardened by years of war, the sight of having an entire planet just casually floating before her eyes as if it were no more than a marble scared her. All of a sudden, the feeling of weightlessness was replaced with one of anxiousness, like she was holding a match in a sea of gasoline. If she so much as _touched_ the planet as she was, the results would be nothing short of apocalyptic.

_I...I can't believe this. I wonder what the people back on Earth are seeing? I must be...terrifying..._

However, a deep voice spoke from seemingly out of nowhere. "Don't worry. We've ensured you're invisible to that planet, for now."

Kagura turned around...only to instinctively wince and close her eyes. She didn't know exactly what she had just seen, but it had been hard on her eyes and even harder on her mind.

"Ah, sorry about that." a second, more feminine voice apologized as Kagura detected a flicker of light. "You can look now."

The former princess opened her eyes and gasped as she saw two figures floating in front of her. They were humanoid, with vaguely human-like features, but the similarities ended there - they wore armor and regalia that looked as if fashioned from the cosmos itself, its fabric shimmering as if made of stardust. What little "skin" they had exposed looked as if it were sculpted from alabaster, with constellation-like patterns of light flashing across its surface. Their hair was like innumerable strands of starlight, their eyes like stellar fireballs. One of them was masculine, the other feminine - but both had equally stern faces.

Kagura felt an instinctual desire to bow. She might have been a Celestial now, but these two were something else entirely. Just from being in their presence, she could feel their power and authority sweeping over her - these were gods among gods.

"We hope these forms will be more convenient. We chose forms that would be more familiar to a former human, and made sure to speak in a language you understand." the feminine one said calmly, their voice seeming to project directly into her mind. "Regardless, we would like to welcome you, fledgling Celestial. If you are standing before us now, that means that you have been selected by one of our kind to ascend. That alone is a sign of what must have been outstanding performance and prowess back on your home world. Congratulations."

Kagura bowed to them. "I am honored to take on this new duty. I trust that you are leaders of sorts? Well met...sorry, what are your names?

"We have no names. Perhaps we once did, but they have been lost to the eons, as even Celestials must face the erosion of time acting on their memories. You may call us whatever you wish."

The newly-ascended Celestial was a bit surprised, but after noticing their regal appearances, she decided to just roll with it. "May I simply call you by King and Queen?"

"By all means." the newly-nicknamed 'Queen' replied.

"Alright." Kagura said, collecting her thoughts. "Pardon me, but I haven't met either of you yet. You don't resemble the Celestial who offered their strength to me."

The King gave a blunt reply. "They were unfortunately slain in battle."

"In battle...?" Kagura murmured in surprise.

The King nodded. "On that note, we should probably let you know your new purpose as a Celestial sentinel. You may have seen us as gods back when you were mortal, but that is merely relative - we are workers in the grand macrocosm of reality, tasked with ensuring the universe continues to flourish under our actions. Our purpose is to maintain this universe, and ensure that all life developing within it continues to grow and prosper. We monitor, judge, and mold the state of existence for the greatest good - and this also means battling against the forces of the void." 

"The...void?" Kagura asked, slightly unnerved.

"We refer to what mortals would call a capital-V void. We don't expect you to have heard of it. It's not something mere mortals would be able to find out about...nor is it something they should be forced to bear." the Queen replied, almost gravely. "The universe gives and takes - creates countless wonders, yet makes the forces to destroy those wonders. Fittingly, it creates countless Celestials dedicated to preserving existence...and equally infinite entities that wish to destroy it. The universe is teeming with abominations, and among the strongest of these are the Void Entities, born from tears between reality where nothing became something, and determined to return our reality to the nothingness from whence they came."

Kagura had fought many monstrous foes before, but the way the Queen had said all of this made her feel like it was her first battle again. "Scary..."

The King nodded. "The void is powerful, relentless, and undying - so are we. The lesser life of the universe is not as fortunate - in my aeons of life, I have not yet found a world capable of withstanding a Void Entity attack. That is why it is our job to defend them, crush the monsters that wish to destroy this universe, and banish them back to the plane they belong in."

_Lesser life..._

Kagura couldn't believe that she was now in a state where humans were considered 'lesser life'. "Sir...just for clarification...that ball in front of me _is_ Earth, right?"

"That is correct." came the instant response. "I understand it may take some getting used to being such a higher life form, and that it may be hard to imagine you once lived on such a planet. But I promise, your mortal feelings of nostalgia will not bother you for very long. However, you must still remember your new power - you now hold entire worlds at your mercy, so you must treat them with the appropriate level of care."

Silence from Kagura.

"...Like my cohort said, you will get used to it as time passes." the Queen reassured her. "Regardless, we will be your mentors for the time being. We will give you some time to get used to your new form and abilities, but expect us to test you in the near future."

"...Wait. So, about Earth...will I stay around it? Am I going to protect it?"

The slight narrowing of the King's eyes said it all. "You will not. You may have some sentimental attachment to it, but there are many more tasks in the universe that require your assistance. I assure you, those feelings will fade - although if you insist, you'll be the first one we call on to solve any problems regarding this world. However, a part of being a Celestial is interfering minimally with the lesser worlds under us. We are not there to control them - we are there to observe them, and only act if needed."

Kagura didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. Seeing that their new recruit was conflicted and confused, the King and Queen decided to give her some alone time. "We will leave you to yourself for now. Please, take some time to get used to all the changes your body has undergone - we'll keep that invisibility barrier on you for a while, just in case. But our late cohort spoke very highly of your potential...we're interested to see how right they were."

And in a flash, they were gone, leaving Kagura alone with her former home.

Sighing, the girl stared at Earth a little longer. She had seen maps of the planet before, but seeing it from space made it seem twice as vibrant. Identifying Lurie, she squinted at the continent, barely able to make out the iota-sized landmarks and kingdoms. The sheer scale of everything still scared her a little - if the entire planet was just a marble to her now, and civilizations were mere dust particles, then what did that make people?

_What did that make Kagami?_

Remembering the name made her heart ache. Despite her wholehearted focus on her duties over the last few years, she had always felt a deep sentiment for her friend...if she even deserved to call her that anymore, after all but abandoning her. Even now, she was indebted to that girl, for a reason Kagura could no longer clearly remember but didn't dare to doubt. And Kagami had even gone all the way to Zenith in order to say her last goodbye...yet Kagura hadn't even given her so much as a reply.

_So much for a farewell..._

She trusted that Damian would get Kagami the gifts she had prepared for her, as well as her final message. When she had woken up after writing the letter, Kagura had no idea what state of mind she had been in when she had made it - but she couldn't find it in her to disprove anything in the letter. Even the last part - where she had brazenly proclaimed a deeper affection for Kagami that transcended friendship - wasn't something that Kagura could find fault in. If the choice had been easier...if she wasn't to take on such an important duty...would she have wanted to stay with Kagami forever?

She didn't know. There were too many things she didn't know. And without a proper farewell, she didn't know how Kagami was going to fare by herself either. Should she have told Kagami to just forget about her and move on instead of remembering her? Had it been selfish to ask Kagami to forever enshrine her in her memory, and subsequently live with the fact that she was no longer there with her? And now that Kagura had told her to rise in the world at any cost...would she remain the kind, loving girl that Kagura had felt so attached to?

She had too many regrets, and they stabbed at her like tangible blades. For a moment, Kagura considered revealing herself to Earth, and trying to talk to Kagami one last time. But with her new size and power, combined with a lack of knowledge on how to control herself, she hesitated before deciding against it. A part of her, buried deeply within her psyche, wanted to cry - but it was silenced.

Turning away, Kagura set off into the cosmos, but not without a final prayer for Kagami's future.

_Kagami...I'll return for you, I promise. Until then...please, never give up._

_One Earth week later..._

"We hope that you've managed to get accustomed to your new form as a Celestial." the Celestial Queen told Kagura as she activated her cosmic blade. "Our first test is what you would call a diagnostic. The enemies in this region shouldn't be too much of a problem for someone of your power level, but do not let your guard down."

Kagura took a deep breath - or at least what felt like one - and raised her sword. Ever since she had become a Celestial, she had drifted through empty space, learning from her superiors and testing the limits of what her new powers could and could not do. She had quickly discovered that while the former had a lot of answers, the latter had considerably less. 

Her capabilities felt the same as when she had been a mortal vessel, except with their magnitude amplified massively to accommodate her new size and energy output. However, she no longer had to chain together thoughts, nor did she need to intensely concentrate and channel magic through her. In fact, the very concept of magic had all but disappeared to her - leaving only sheer _power_ behind. Using her new abilities was as easy as breathing, as if she was imposing her thoughts onto the plane of reality and seeing them come to life before her eyes. Even stranger was the fact that she now seemed able to outright ignore the laws of physics, making Kagura seriously start reconsidering everything she had learned during her education.

Yet according to her superiors, the Void Entities were not only capable of matching and withstanding such seemingly-omnipotent powers, but also _making them seem as if they were not enough._ "You might be an all-powerful deity compared to what you used to be," the King had said bluntly, "but in battles of this scope, we are all just fighters. Unless you can overwhelm your enemy by orders of magnitude, power isn't enough. Battles on a Celestial level are won with technique, strategy, practice...things you should be very familiar with, considering you were a mortal warrior-princess once. But you also must remember that the Void Entities may be destructive, but many of them are not stupid. In fact, despite our purposes being complete opposites, they may be very much like us in many ways."

Kagura's eyes widened as a dozen slithering... _things_ suddenly emerged from seemingly out of nowhere. Each one was an almost formless mass of writhing matter about as tall as she was, their wispy forms crackling with some alien sort of energy. The group was led by a slightly larger, more coherent entity, whose churning essence seemed contained within a shattered shell of metallic matter.

The fledgeling Celestial could tell instantly that these things were inherently _wrong._ They did not belong in this world, and had to be removed from this universe at all costs. This...was the duty she had been given.

"We will watch your battle closely." the King told Kagura, fading away along with his cohort. "Show us what a human chosen by the stars can do."

The Void Entities didn't hesitate to attack her on sight, hungrily surging towards the strongest life signature they could find in the vicinity. Their bodies churned and formed countless spiked limbs as they leapt towards Kagura with primal fervor.

With a swing of her sword, Kagura sent a jet of stellar fire shooting towards her attackers. The blast hit them head-on, splattering bits of their essence everywhere, but the beings only faltered slightly. Dodging a clawed swipe and ducking beneath a burst of unearthly power, Kagura swung her sword into the body of the nearest monster. Its wispy body provided a surprising amount of resistance, but Kagura grit her teeth and pushed harder - until her blade cleaved it in twain, the remains dissolving into a cloud of unstable lightning.

If anything, seeing Kagura's power only made the Void Entities come at her faster. However, Kagura was a trained warrior who had now been given the power of a cosmic deity. Moving with the speed and grace befitting of her former royalty, she tore into the void-born hordes without mercy. With one hand, she swung her cosmic blade, slicing through the horde with a series of flowing strokes while deflecting their attacks. With the other, she manifested flames of celestial energy, releasing them in gigantic blasts to incinerate any enemies outside the range of her sword. Any void-blasts that actually managed to hit her were deflected off of her personal barrier, which now seemed powerful enough to spatially repel attacks rather than just block them.

Within minutes, she was able to weaken most of the horde and herd them into a small area. With a wave of her hand, she trapped all of them within countless spinning rings of starfire-laced cosmic shrapnel, before raising her sword in the air and gathering power. Swinging downwards in a decisive stroke, she shredded the very space her enemies were trapped in - countless spatial fissures ripping the weakened Void Entities to pieces as their energy dissipated into the cosmos.

Well, all but one. The bigger one that resembled their leader was starting to be problematic, considering that it hadn't gotten hit once during Kagura's rampage. Even now, as she dodged its clawed strike and slashed at it, her attack seemed to bounce right off it. It was less of an impact, and more like her slashes were being repelled by some unknown force.

However, she remembered some of the lessons her superiors had taught her over the last couple of Earth-days. In order to truly battle the forces of the void, she needed to abandon the conventional logic of the warfare on Earth, and embrace the fact that these were things able to warp reality. The King and Queen had warned her that many Void Entities had a tendency to twist space to defend themselves, hiding themselves in pocket dimensions and only emerging to strike. Extending her enhanced senses, Kagura discovered that this was indeed the case - the last void beast was still visible normally, but its body resided in a miniature spatial bubble.

As it charged her again, Kagura waited for the exact moment when it exposed itself to release a beam of disintegrating light - then struck it hard with a starfire-infused slash from her blade, causing cracks to spread through its metallic hide. The creature let out a roar - despite space not being a medium for sound, cosmic entities somehow seemed able to project sound directly into the minds of others - and re-established its defensive perimeter, slithering in place as it eyed up Kagura. In response, Kagura raised her sword, gathered her power again, and lunged - driving a crack into the dimensional barrier itself.

The beast recoiled in surprise as Kagura placed both hands on her sword's hilt and channeled the near-limitless power of a Celestial into it, striking with enough power to quite literally rend the dimensions. The spatial manipulation practice she had learned under the King had paid off - combined with her natural talent, she was able to literally tear the Void Entity's pocket dimension apart, pulling it back into her own.

Hissing, the monster lashed out with its metallic claws. While Kagura was distracted blocking it, a tail-like appendage wrapped around her sword and pulled it out of her grasp. However, Kagura abandoned her blade and grabbed the Void Entity with her bare hands, stellar sparks flying as the energy of her Celestial body reacted violently with the matter of the void beast. Gritting her teeth, she slowly pulled its shell apart, discarding the metallic fragments to the depths of space.

As the creature overpowered her in a final desperate attempt, its jaws trying to tear off her face, Kagura exerted her magic on it, crushing its weakened shell before prying its jaws open. Using her powers to gather raw elements from a distant plane, Kagura raised her hand as a miniature star burst to life within her palm. With a shout, she shoved the star down the creature's throat before channeling both elements and Celestial power into it, causing the star to expand within its gullet. Mere seconds later, the creature went through its final death throes as the expanding star incinerated it from the inside out, blowing its body into cosmic dust as the ball of unstable plasma burst out from within its remains.

Kagura lowered her hand and sighed as the miniature star burst into a cloud of space dust - she was not yet able to create stable miniatures, much less full-on stars. Feeling a presence emerge behind her, she turned around and bowed to the returning Celestial King.

"...You have exceeded our expectations." the King murmured, almost in awe. "Now, we know for sure that our cohort was not lying to us. You truly were an exceptional candidate for ascension...your skill and potential are incredible considering that this is merely your first battle. I can see a bright future in you, child...your powers will be a wonderful asset in preserving existence."

"Thank you, sir."

With another flash, the Queen appeared as well, carrying Kagura's sword in her hand. "You dropped this, though. Nearly plowed through a few planets if I hadn't caught it in time."

This gave Kagura pause. "Nearly _what?"_

Seeing the Queen motioning towards a cluster of rocks, Kagura found it hard to believe that those were _planets._ "Remember to be more careful next time. These rogue planets are completely uninhabited, so there was no danger involved. However, needless destruction of planets is not something we encourage."

Seeing Kagura's look of utter shock, the King sighed. "You look so surprised. It might be hard for you to comprehend from your old mortal mindset, but countless planets are destroyed every instant. Most of which are cold, lifeless rocks, but even life-bearing planets can be destroyed easily. In fact...you may have to personally destroy some of them in the future."

"Destroy...planets with life on them?" Kagura asked, aghast. "Why?"

"It's true that our job is to maintain life and order across the universe, but there sometimes comes a point where a world's existence is doing more harm to the universe than good." the King said sternly. "For worlds undergoing self-destruction, we will sometimes give them the benefit of the doubt and watch the situation unfold. But the problem arises when a world is doing harm to other worlds. Many, many civilizations across the galaxies are capable of travelling through space, and even constructing galactic empires - but while many are benevolent, others will conquer and destroy without mercy. It's not too common of a situation, but when a world is deemed to be doing more harm than good, and said world is also judged as beyond repair...then we eliminate it. Depending on the situation, we may create a replacement and start anew, or we may never bring it back."

Kagura's head was spinning more than a little bit. "I'm...supposed to do that? Fighting the Void Entities is fine, but passing judgement on entire worlds...is that something I have a right to do?"

"Celestials are chosen by the universe, and those who are not are chosen by other Celestials." the Queen replied. "Either way, you were chosen to bear this responsibility - and that gives you the right to judge the worlds of this universe. It may be hard to understand now, but you'll get used to it eventually. Part of being a Celestial is understanding that regardless of how you feel about it, you are now a higher being."

Kagura didn't know what to say about that - it just felt so _wrong,_ to be discussing the fate of entire planets with the same casual tone as one would discuss the anthills in their yard. Her conflict was clearly visible on her face, because the King cleared his throat and reassured her a little. "These events are not very common, so you shouldn't worry about them too much for now. You may not have to do something like this for some time. And like my cohort said, you'll get used to it eventually."

_Do I want to get used to it?_

"Regardless, excellent work on your test." the King said, dropping the previous topic. "We'll keep in touch with you and continue to mentor you, but be prepared for dispatches. We will start calling you into more missions soon, and you'll work your way up from there. Most of your missions will be rather inconsequential for now, but later on we will likely assign you to a group and have you take on some of the universe's greater threats. We have great expectations for you, and we trust that you'll be able to live up to them."

And with that, the two overseers vanished, leaving Kagura alone with her thoughts.

_...I am a Celestial now. I don't have the luxury of dwelling on such things. That's...that's just the human in me._

Then she sighed sadly at the bitter taste the mere thought left in her mouth.

_Two years after the ascension..._

To a Celestial, time passed much faster than it did for a mortal. The next two years had gone by in a flash to Kagura, to the point where she had trouble remembering everything she had done during the time. She had mostly been assigned to relatively simple missions to ease her into her new duties - helping oversee the building of star systems, watching the creation of new life, and ridding solar systems from Void Entity infestations. In her spare time, she honed her abilities - exploring the galaxy, learning about the universe, trying to create cosmic objects like her superiors, or practicing her combat skills. And when she didn't want to do any of that, she could merely close her eyes, and time would advance an Earth-month in an instant.

Over that time, she met many more Celestials like herself...well, the similarities ended at the fact that they were all Celestials. She had found out that Celestials varied extremely wildly, to the point where many could not even be associated with each other were it not for their astronomical power. Some ascendants resembled things Kagura would have seen back on Earth, while others were totally alien yet still identifiable as former mortals chosen to ascend. Others, particularly the non-ascendants, defied everything Kagura knew - their forms unknowable and difficult to even look at. Others even had forms so bizarre, non-Euclidian, and just _physics-defying_ that Kagura was barely able to comprehend them. Some were sentient, others were silent, and many seemed almost mindless - but they were all her cohorts, despite none of the Celestials she had met wanting to engage in any meaningful conversation.

And one day, Kagura would find herself face-to-face with a particular group of Celestials, as the King and Queen gathered them all in front of a burning star.

"Valued cohorts and newly-ascended, you have all performed exceptionally well despite having ascended not long ago." the King began. "In acknowledgement of your abilities - particularly your prowess in battling the hordes of the void - we have decided to place you in a team together for now. Together, you will lead our kind and fight against the forces that wish to eradicate our existence."

The Celestials started eyeing each other up. Compared to all of the others, Kagura felt a little out of place - she was the smallest out of all of them, and most were far more monstrous than she was. While there were a few humanoid ones, even they seemed significantly older and more mature than her.

That made fourteen, including herself. Fourteen Celestials that would now have to work together, for better or for worse. Kagura hoped it would be the former.

"We will be assigning you numbers for convenience." the Queen informed them. "You would be advised to remember them, as they'll be how you refer to each other from here on out."

"Excuse me, why can't we just use names?" Kagura asked, almost innocently. "Using numbers seems a little...well, I'm not too fond of it."

"...Many Celestials simply do not have names, and some may have names difficult to comprehend - even if you're all speaking a universal language." the Queen said simply. "It would be difficult. To prove my point...how about some of you introduce yourselves."

After hearing silence from most of the Celestials, and "sounds" that made Kagura's ears want to implode from some of the others, Kagura accepted it. With that, the Celestial overseers gave all of them their numbers, and Kagura - newly given the designation of "Five" - started mentally listing down each of them.

One was an amorphous blob of stardust, twinkling with motes of cosmic light. Their formless body pulsated with innumerable types of radiation, and seemed to be on the verge of unleashing some energy pulse at any given time.

Two was a lion-like creature, with a body of malleable gold and a mane composed of luminous strands. Their entire metallic body was somehow taut with musculature, and their jewel-like eyes shone with nobility.

Three was a higher-dimensional entity that Kagura found difficult to comprehend. It looked like a cluster of multicolored geometric crystals, but they kept folding in on themselves and warping into each other - making it hard to get a general idea of what they looked like. Kagura decided to just stop looking before her brain shut down.

Four was a huge, fiery golem-like being. Its body was composed of many armor-like plates of jet-black stone, with barely-restrained volcanic flames glowing between the plates. Rather than a face, it just had a number of glowing orange holes where its face should have been, each one burning with the fury of a newborn star.

Six was a colossal translucent creature that resembled a jellyfish from Earth. Its rubbery body pulsated with waves of ethereal light as dozens of tentacles undulated hypnotically, and Kagura could swear that she occasionally saw a spark of lightning burst to life within its bell-shaped body.

Seven was a creature that looked more like a sentient star than anything else. Its body was a crackling spark of light, roiling with unstable plasma and releasing arcs of lightning into its surroundings.

Eight was merely a muscular, reptilian humanoid slightly taller than herself, bedecked in bronze plate armor covering their rough green skin. Kagami was almost relieved to see something so _familiar,_ only for that sense of relief to fade when the warrior gave her an almost seething glare.

Nine was an absolutely massive serpentine beast, almost ten times longer than Kagura was tall. Like the other reptilian, its sturdy body was covered in tough green scales, and its eyes glowed like molten gold - but otherwise, it also looked quite familiar.

Ten quickly broke this short trend of familiarity - Kagura had to actually think about what she was looking at before making out coherent shapes. It was clear that this being originated from a different plane of sorts...but in this plane, she could just make out a dark void that seemed to distort light around it, alongside several almost angelic-looking wings made of black geometric clusters.

Eleven initially resembled a shelled, turtle-like creature...if turtles had a long-necked head in place of each limb. Each of its six heads had differently colored eyes and a differently colored chitinous plume on top of them, but none of them looked happy. 

Twelve looked almost human - much to Kagura's shock. On Earth, they would have been a young man with brown hair and hazel eyes, dressed in military fatigues - but Kagura wasn't about to assume they were really that normal. Their ears were slightly spiked, too, so Kagura knew for a fact that they probably weren't human...or at least, not human like she had been.

Thirteen and Fourteen were also vaguely spiky-eared humanoids. The former was an older blonde woman wearing a gold tiara and a long dress that looked as if it were woven out of a violet night sky. In contrast, the latter was an almost elderly man, wearing the medal-laden olive uniform of a distinguished general. Unlike the other Celestials, these two actually tried for reassuring smiles when they caught Kagura staring at them.

It was certainly a quirky assortment of cohorts. Kagura could feel everyone's eyes on her as well, but nobody had really spoken up yet. There was an air of unease surrounding all of them - like nobody knew what to say.

The King cleared his throat and decided to break the ice for them. "Alright, does anyone want to volunteer to lead this team for now?"

Most of the more alien Celestials had little response. Two and Four seemed eager to appoint a leader, but not to become one. Twelve, Thirteen, and Fourteen seemed ready to volunteer, but also seemed hesitant somehow. The others held their tongues - with the exception of two.

Eight stepped forward, pounding their chest with one hand. "I volunteer to lead! On my world, only the strong may lead - and I was the strongest among all those in my tribe! So, I led them to prosperity and conquered those who would oppose us...I believe I can do the same here!"

At the same time, Kagura raised her hand. "If I may, I would like to lead."

Eight snorted in response. "Oh yeah, runt? Why would you be qualified?"

"As a princess on my homeworld, I was taught various aspects of both combat and leadership - and I successfully helped lead my kingdom to victory against countless foes." Kagura said simply. "I spearheaded armies, conquered kingdoms, took charge in political meetings, and brought my kingdom great prosperity. And during that time...I learned that strength alone isn't enough to lead."

"Big talk for such a small girl - one who used to be a mere human, no less!" Eight spat. "You look far too young for this. Even those three humanoids look way more experienced than you."

"Are you doubting my strength?"

"What if I am?"

Kagura decided right there that the best way to put down this overly-aggressive Celestial's insolence was the way that had been drilled into her brain - a show of force. "Alright. Then fight me. Winner gets to lead."

A wicked grin spread across the reptilian's face as he raised his hand, a double-ended sword appearing in his grip. "Now we're talking."

As Kagura's cosmic blade flashed to life in her hands, Thirteen looked at the King and Queen worriedly. "Should we really be infighting so soon?"

In response, the King allowed himself the faintest of smiles. "Let them be. This just got a bit more interesting..."

A few minutes later, Eight found himself disarmed, panting, and with a sizzling energy blade at his throat. "Urgh...well…color me surprised."

Kagura gave him a smile, disabling her blade and offering a hand to help him to his feet. "I guess it's settled?"

The defeated Celestial pridefully refused and uprighted himself. "Hah...I guess it is. You're good, kid...I didn't expect you to be so powerful."

08 had proven himself to be an exceptionally skilled warrior, but his pridefulness had caused him to make several avoidable mistakes in the duel. Against a combat prodigy like Kagura, any mistake could be turned into a fatal one.

"I guess it's settled then." the amused Queen told them. "Five will lead you, at least for the time being. There's been quite a bit of Void activity in this area - make us proud."

And with that, they disappeared as the Celestial team set out on its first mission.

To their shock, the fourteen Celestials fought together like a well-oiled machine despite their differences and initial difficulty communicating. Under Kagura's direction, they handily dismantled the Void Entities roaming the area without so much as a single serious injury. Kagura was able to witness the terrifying power of her new cohorts up close - be it high-energy attacks, reality warping, higher-dimensional attacks that Kagura couldn't even properly understand, or just brute strength, each and every one of the Celestials proved themselves immensely powerful in their own ways. Even the less eldritch-looking ones demonstrated insane levels of physical strength and what amounted to magical prowess. And to her credit, whatever doubts the Celestials had about her leadership and strength quickly faded upon seeing her in battle.

Six gripped the final Void Entity with its tentacles, flooding its body with a colossal energy shock, before Nine bit into it and tore it in half with its jaws. Just as it tried to flee again, Seven channeled a ray of stellar radiation and vaporized it. "Target eliminated."

"Great job, everyone." Kagura told her cohorts, deactivating her blade and letting out a sigh. "We all did well."

"For someone who looks so young, you have some incredible power and leadership under your belt." Twelve told Kagura with a smile on his face. "You'll make a great team leader."

Eight sighed. "I hate to admit it, but you've really impressed me, little miss. How old even are you?"

"In Earth years, I should be...twenty? I'm not sure how aging works as a Celestial."

Thirteen frowned in response. "That's a little disquieting, actually. I was also a princess at one time during my life as a mortal, but while I was also trained in combat, you've clearly gone through a lot of fighting already. That means you must've been fighting for a long time...how long have you been doing this? Were you a child soldier?"

To her surprise, Kagura nodded without hesitation. "I recall that I was trained in combat ever since I was very young. And I started fighting in wars at...twelve?"

"What…?" Eight and Fourteen simultaneously muttered in disbelief.

"Appalling." Two grunted, shaking their mane in annoyance. "A child that young should not have been forced to wage war. What kind of people lived on your planet to make you do such things?"

14 raised their hands. "My brethren, we shouldn't judge this young Celestial too harshly for what happened in their past. After all, it is but that - the past. Things are what they are now, so we should instead be grateful that she's here with us in the present."

One rumbled in agreement, pulsating rhythmically. "Power gives results. She has given us results. Let us honor and respect her - the one who will hopefully help lead us towards endless victory."

Kagura wanted to say something, but her attention was caught by a miniscule flash of light in front of her face. "Hm? Does anyone else see those?"

"Should be vessels from some lower civilization." Ten vocalized disdainfully.

Surprised, Kagura willed her vision to focus on the source of the disturbance. Indeed, there was a space battleship opening fire on her - bristling with weapons, covered in defensive plating strong enough to withstand a nuclear blast, escorted by a fleet of smaller gunships. While such a battleship could have been the keystone of an imperial spacefaring armada back on Earth, right now it was an infinitesimal annoyance at best - Kagura was unable to even see it clearly, and it had little chance of even fazing her, much less harming her.

"Most are smart enough to avoid Celestials even in accidental run-ins, but few are stupid enough to actually attack them." Eight quipped. "You can get rid of them if you want. It'll be like swatting gnats."

"Get...rid of them?" Kagura repeated. It was true that she could simply wipe them out with the most effortless of motions. But somewhere deep inside Kagura, a fear from times past was resurfacing. Those ships contained hundreds, even thousands of people - maybe not humans, but _people_ nonetheless. And when Kagura imagined them as humans, her former brethren...the thought of instantly extinguishing all of them like that made her want to puke. She had fought many people, even killed many people...but for some reason, the thought of wiping out an entire space fleet in an instant gave her pause.

"I-I...I don't think I need to do that." Kagura stuttered uncharacteristically. "They can't hurt me, right? I...think I'll leave them be. All of you should also leave them alone."

Some of the Celestials seemed a little put off by her sudden change in tone, but nodded in agreement as they started to disperse and leave for their own destinations. From further away, the King noticed this and frowned. "She spared them? No...that's not the issue. She seemed somehow different when thinking about it, like she was scared. From the recounts we got, she was rarely ever scared. What's with that?"

The Queen shrugged. "I don't know, but it's a cause for concern - a small one for now, but a cause for concern nonetheless. Let us observe her closely for now, and see if anything like this appears in the future."

Once she was alone, Kagura let out a sigh.

_What...got into me there?_

Perhaps she'd eventually get used to her new status...but did she really want to? She was no longer human, but she wasn't selling out to the belief that humans truly were lesser species to her now. Earth had many flaws, but the people there could be remarkable too. She had known many remarkable people, after all - and she had known Kagami.

Perhaps she'd never get a chance to return, but she vaguely remembered a promise - a promise to return to Earth, and reunite with one she cared about. And if she were to ever return, she wanted to return with as clear a conscience as someone with her duties could manage. But even if she returned…

_Kagami...what would you think of what I've become?_

Would her mortal friend consider her a goddess? A monster? A nigh-incomprehensible cosmic horror? And more importantly, no matter what she considered her...would she still consider her a dear friend?

The answer came to her almost immediately, in the form of a faint voice speaking to her from her memory. She didn't even remember exactly when or how Kagami had said this to her...but in her heart, she knew it had definitely happened.

_"Even if you became an all-powerful god, I'd still accept you with open arms!"_

Somewhere on Earth, Kagami was doing something that only a human could. And Kagura had faith in her - that whatever she was doing, she was succeeding. Despite her curse, and despite all the hardship the world had thrown at her, if there was one person who could defy all of that and rise through the world, it was her.

Filled with hope for her friend's future, and hope of their eventual reunion...Kagura felt a sudden urge to smile. "Make me proud, my friend. When I see you again...let me see the smiling face of one who triumphed over all odds."

Was Kagami laughing or crying right now? Smiling or frowning? Kagura had no way of knowing, and no way of reaching her. But for a second, she wanted to believe that her voice had reached Earth, comforting the one she cherished the most in the world.

_...Such an odd thought. I guess I am still a child in some ways._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving all the Celestials numbers was convenient, but man does it make dialogue sound twice as awkward.
> 
> Musing about supermassive cosmic gods who maintain reality and the equally powerful creatures they battle is fun, lets me look through astronomy a bit, and is also a way to undergo a possible existential crisis if you think about the universe too hard. Ever since reading into the _Event Horizon_ event from _League of Legends_ (Cosmic/Dark Star), I'm probably going to suck up a bunch of inspiration from it.
> 
> Edit: Screw this I'm keeping their numbers but writing them as words


	9. Nameless Story of a Lonely Road, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Against the tide of the raging world, she stood alone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had very few plans for this part and recall just telling myself "I'll think of it when I get there". Lo and behold, I eventually got there, and I still had no idea what to do because surprise surprise, I hadn't planned it out in detail. Eh, at least it turned out in a way I was satisfied with.
> 
> Imagining my characters getting older is difficult because my only references are all relatively young-looking. Eh, I suppose that both Kagami and Kagura just always look very youthful in general, but still.

_Four years after the departure. Kagami: age 22._

Kagami set down her pencil, leaned back, and sighed as the professor started wrapping up the lecture. She fought the urge to yawn, but not because she was bored - in fact, it was the opposite, considering that she felt like her brain had been boiled away trying to understand these concepts.

Her stupor was interrupted by the elderly woman loudly smacking a baton against the wall. "Miss Kagami! Answer the displayed question! You look like you've been sleeping, so surely you know the right answer, right?"

As she reached for her notes, the professor raised a wand and warped the light around them, making Kagami's writing illegible. "None of that! You have a brain, and eyes to read the notes I've been writing, so I can only hope you can use them for such an elementary question."

Staring at the magical display board in front of her, Kagami's addled brain combed through the answers in the multiple choice problem laid out before her eyes. Somehow, she was able to remember enough to answer the question. "It's C."

"...That is correct." her professor admitted. "On that note, the lecture is finished. I hope you all have been taking notes, because there'll be a short test next week."

As the class started filing out, Kagami sighed deeply and packed up her things. The non-practical classes she had to take at the magic academy were much more boring than the practical ones - why did aspiring mages have to memorize textbooks and take written tests? Sure, she got that she needed a lot of knowledge to use magic at its most effective, but that didn't make it any less annoying to learn.

Over the last four years, Kagami had been studying at one of Aidi's several magic academies, trying her best to hone her magical abilities. What she had been prepared for was that the magic academy was more like a magic-themed university than any sort of fantastic new world. What she _hadn't_ been prepared for was the sheer depth of the subject she had just thrown herself into - Kagura's explanation all those years ago had obviously been a gross oversimplification, but the complexities of magic far surpassed anything Kagami had been expecting.

Kagura had given her a head start by explaining that using magic was like drawing on ambient magical energy and entering a "command chain" of thoughts to tell it to do something, and that even slight differences in thoughts or loss of focus could completely change the end result. Sure, that _was_ the basic principle of magic, but it got a lot more complicated than that. 

For one thing, in order to manipulate the world, mages had to learn a lot about the world on a scientific level. Basic matter manipulation needed a general understanding of physics, and healing required extensive knowledge about anatomy and medical science, among limitless other things that Kagami didn't really want to get into. At some point, Kagami had become certain that magic was really just applied sciences - hell, some of the academy's greatest scholars were even trying to incorporate science into the very nature of magic, saying that it was the world's ambient magic attuning itself to the electrical signals in one's brain. Kagami didn't know whether to believe it or not, and she didn't really want to think about it lest her brain melt again.

Furthermore, while using magic was easy, actually honing it was not. It was extremely sensitive to thoughts, and Kagami understood why some people were only able to use one type of magic well - it was much easier for the brain to get used to repeatedly thinking in the same way, than it was for it to memorize a dozen exact sequences of thoughts. Enchanting objects was even harder - in order to do that, one would have to inundate an object with magic, while also making said magic attuned to the thought processes that would yield the proper result. It was akin to "programming" an object with one's thoughts by using magical power as a medium, and Kagami had not been exceptionally successful in enchanting anything so far.

She had wondered how people could teach a primarily imagination-based power, but Aidi had surpassed her expectations. Turns out, the city had discovered specific thought chains that, for their respective functions, were compatible with just about everyone. So, the academies recruited people who were well-versed in mental arts, who would then learn these pre-established baselines, and use their powers to both read the consciousnesses of their students as well as transfer their thoughts directly to their minds. Through this, students would learn basic magical techniques easily, and when they modified them to further suit their own preferences, their tutors could monitor them and help them accordingly. Kagami didn't know how ethical it was, but nothing bad had happened with this system yet - and it was both ingenious and useful.

Alongside hours of daily practice and many practical tests, the academy mostly taught about the various aspects of the world which would enable students to use magic effectively - again, particularly the sciences. There were even lessons in arcane chemistry - really just potions class - where they'd use advanced laboratory techniques in tandem with magic to create useful compounds out of raw materials. Kagami tirelessly studied the knowledge-based sections of her learning while training for practical applications - her unnaturally high magic conductivity and vivid imagination, stated to be an anomaly by her tutors, sometimes made up for her lack of magical storage and crippling lack of physical strength.

_How did Kagura become such a holistic mage so quickly? She must have been really talented, and worked really hard..._

But for Kagami, the strenuous curriculum was only one part of the difficulties she faced. While the academy had accepted her as per their policies, her curse had kicked in at full force almost immediately after her first day of class. With such a wide range of people at the academy, it made sense that a large number of them would very easily fall victim to her curse, and scorn Kagami as much as she could. Many were content to coldly look the other way and pretend she didn't exist, while others took advantage of her various shortcomings to mock her during practice sessions. Some of them even went out of their way to torment her - either as a way of venting their negativity, out of jealousy for her surprisingly good performance as a student, or out of sheer sadistic glee. Kagami knew that many of the students could just have unpleasant personalities, but the curse bringing out the worst of them wasn't helping.

Sometimes, she wondered if she should actually try befriending them anyways - there was always a chance she could gain their favor and weaken the curse that way. But all the people that had fully overpowered her curse had always had some head start...Ivan and Elise had been all but forced to watch her due to Kagura, and Damian had been fed absurd amounts of embellished propaganda by Kagura as well. These people...well, they owed her nothing, and she owed them nothing. And after trying this same tactic when she was younger, she had no faith that it'd work now - she didn't want to waste any more precious effort on things she knew would almost certainly fail. Better to invest it in things that might actually work - like studying, working, and practicing.

The effect on the professors wasn't much better. While their countless years of teaching and resulting accumulated wisdom made them naturally more accepting for the first part, to say that they treated Kagami as a problem student was a bit of an understatement. Trying to get a straight answer out of them for anything was like a coin toss, and outright negotiating with them was far harder considering that they never gave her the benefit of the doubt. This left Kagami with a slew of almost unfair situations that she was unable to protest, particularly when it came to their practice and testing methods. Sometimes, their help would feel more like discouragement, as most of them would just put down Kagami whenever she inevitably made a mistake.

Quickly realizing that she wasn't going to get much additional help, if any at all, Kagami figured that the only way she was going to get through this is if she took matters into her own hands. Keep studying, keep practicing, keep training...accumulating more knowledge, more experience, and more power. Know her material well enough that even evaluators who disliked her could find no fault in her work. Train hard enough that she'd eventually pick up on techniques that actually worked for her. Fight hard enough that she'd eventually know every method of attack. In a world where nobody wanted to help her, she wanted to make sure that she didn't need anyone to help her. It wasn't like she was going to spend time with friends, anyways.

Nobody could learn everything, and nobody was perfect. But despite her not being a perfectionist, Kagami still put in the effort of one, as this was the only way she was sure she'd survive. Her levels of success varied wildly, but she was living - and dare she say it, she was growing.

It was a somewhat dismal experience, but Kagami had been through far worse. And for what it was worth, she was improving by the day. One day, she'd improve so much that she'd soar above those who scorned her, and be able to find her place in the world despite her past and her curse.

That was what she told herself. That was what she had to believe in.

Because her beliefs, her hopes, her dreams - they were what stood between her and fading into the release of oblivion. And Kagami wasn't ready to fall into oblivion yet.

"Hup!"

"A-Argh!"

Kagami gasped and ducked to the side of the swinging training sword, causing her opponent to lose his balance. As she saw his hand raise and prepare to fire a concussive pulse, she correctly predicted that he'd fire it straight at her head and ducked under it. Sweeping her leg, she caught him in the back of his knee - combined with his unbalanced stance, her strike instantly toppled him despite the lack of power behind her kick.

Her opponent quickly got to his feet, but Kagami was relentless. Considering that duels were common sights within the academy's training grounds, their rules regarding battles were surprisingly lax outside of their no-killing-or-permanently-injuring policy. Raising her training sword, Kagami smacked him upside the head, before harnessing the wind and ducking out of the way of the frenzied retaliation.

"Why, you!" the young man growled, raising his hand and firing off another concussive burst. Kagami deflected it with a magical barrier and struck back with her own burst, which was also blocked. Raising her hand, Kagami let out a flash of light to blind him before leaping in, raising her sword and jabbing him in the chest a few times. Without skipping a beat, she shocked him with a small jolt of electricity - barely even painful, but still enough to slacken his grip on his weapon, letting Kagami disarm him.

Normally, disarming an opponent usually meant the end of the duel, but Kagami had gone through a disappointing number of duels where her opponent refused to throw in the towel - and this one was no different. Growling, the young man leapt at her, and Kagami raised her hand to fire off another concussive pulse - only to realize too late that she had run out of magic.

The next thing she felt was a burst of fiery pain as her opponent yanked her sword out of her hands and kneed her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. While she was distracted, he raised the training sword like a baseball bat and struck her directly in the head, hard enough to send her flying off the training platform and tumbling to the ground.

The students around them erupted into noise - most of it cheering for the apparent victor. Despite the fact that Kagami had technically won by disarming her opponent, they were still treating it like it was _his_ victory.

"Is...that all, kid?" her opponent groaned, trying to hide the fact that he had taken a fair beating from Kagami. "Unless you've got an appetite for pain, don't come back. If you can't even beat me...how can you beat any of the others?"

As they left her alone, Kagami blinked the stars out of her eyes and groggily stood up. Her technique was getting better, but she still lost roughly 70% of all the duels she took part in. No matter how much she developed her finesse and learned all the combat scenarios, it seemed that it was unable to make up for her inability to store magic and physical frailty. Most of her battles usually just involved her opponents outlasting her magic supply, before effortlessly defeating her with one or two blows - her melee combat was rarely a match for another trainee, and she could forget about close-quarters combat. Even someone younger than herself probably could have overpowered her in hand-to-hand combat.

 _Kid…_ Kagami grumbled to herself, dusting herself off. Kagami was old enough to be considered a young woman now, and while she didn't look like an outright child anymore, her very short stature and thin frame were still subjects of mockery among her peers. It didn't exactly feel great to be treated like someone a few years younger than she actually was, and she didn't have faith that she could change that soon. She doubted that people would care so much about her mental maturity, and even though the academy provided free meals, the deterioration of her body by her dark curse was not easily undone.

But that was just how people saw her - nothing more, nothing less. It had no effect on Kagami personally, so she was willing to let it slide. What _did_ matter was that she needed to keep looking for a way to attain victory in battle despite her shortcomings. She firmly believed that the one who failed a thousand times and learned from each failure was someone to be feared - so she could afford to lose a thousand times as long as her failures would make her more formidable.

Once she had recovered and gotten a drink of water, Kagami made her way to the main terrace, which was bustling with people that wanted to take a break from their training and enjoy the sunny day. Opening the doors to the hub of the academy, Kagami once again marveled at the unique design of the hub - a massive building made of silvery metal, with an ornately designed glass ceiling completely exposing the sky. Countless stairways and bridges crossed every which way, leading to the academy's various faculties. Decorations and stores peppered the plaza, and along the walls, enchanted billboards displayed current news and other information, such as upcoming events.

Compared to just about everything else in the academy, the hub building was surprisingly modern - almost like something she'd see in Stohle, but with magic serving in place of technology. Kagami had heard rumors that the hub had been specifically designed by an architect separate from the rest of the academy's, but she was in no hurry to uncover its true origins.

Climbing two flights of stairs and walking into another hallway, Kagami watched as the modern steel-and-glass aesthetic was replaced with the familiar rustic stone-and-wood one. Eventually, she arrived at her destination - the library.

Gently pushing open the door and looking around to see that the library was mostly empty, Kagami sighed a little and sat down on one of the cozy chairs, placing her bag on the table in front of her. Ever since she had discovered the library, it had quickly become one of her favorite places to spend her time, given that it was a totally quiet environment where she could do some quiet studying or relaxing. Her dorm room technically qualified, but her neighbors were sometimes so loud that Kagami would have to stuff cotton balls in her ears to block out the sound. What could they be doing to warrant so much noise?

Regardless, Kagami liked the library. It was a fairly standard library - carpeted ground and wooden shelves holding countless books, all flanked by two glass windows. One of said windows let people look out upon the grand city of Aidi, far below the mountain that the academy was built on top of. An arched glass ceiling laid the sky bare for all to see yet again - Kagami knew that the staff had magic to obscure the windows in case people needed shade, but the people who built this place seemed to really like their glass windows.

Stretching, Kagami pulled out the book she had been studying and started reading again. As she read, she pulled out a pen and started making more notes on the subject - good note-taking was how she had managed to remember everything she needed.

The warmth of the library, the softness of her seat, and the depth of her book caused time to accelerate. By the time Kagami became lucid again, the sun was starting to set. Looking over the notes she had compiled, she just nodded in satisfaction before heading back down to the outdoor training grounds to practice magic again.

Magic wasn't just for fighting, so Kagami was sure to practice a lot of practical applications - although she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy combat magic more than any other type. As she threw all kinds of energy attacks at the training dummy in front of her, she felt the tell-tale feeling of her magic running out, like something was pulling on her heart.

She grit her teeth. Her peers and mentors had told her that her ability to channel magic was potent to the point of being almost unnatural. A combination of high natural conductivity to magic and a very clear imagination made it so that anything that Kagami wished to happen would usually happen. However, for all of this supposed miracle working, without Kagura's cloak - non-academy provided implements tended to be forbidden during training and the like - she could only sustain it for a few minutes at most, not to mention only being able to perform less powerful magic techniques.

 _More!_ Kagami thought to herself, straining herself to create another miniature flare in her palm. Trying to relax and absorb more magic from her surroundings, Kagami managed a tiny spark that faded instantly. Groaning, she tried again, but this time she tried drawing in magic faster. However, this demanded so much of her focus that her spell went awry, exploding in a cloud of soot.

Kagami coughed and waved the smoke out of her eyes, sighing dejectedly and trying again - only for a sudden jolt of pain to make her crumple to her knees. Groaning, she kept on pushing herself in a fit of furious desperation, letting out spark after spark - not stopping until fatigue and pain fully laid her out on the ground like a deflated balloon.

Was she really gradually increasing her ability to store magic, or was she just imagining things? Was it even _possible_ to improve that part of her abilities? And if she wasn't able to...then what was she going to do?

Her stream of thoughts was interrupted by a voice from behind her. "Kagami, is it?"

Kagami turned around and saw a towering, burly man standing behind her, dressed in formal attire save for the massive battle axe strapped to his back. His stern face sported both an aristocratic-looking mustache and a large but neatly trimmed beard, giving him an air of scholarly wisdom and authority. But Kagami knew it wasn't just an air - she quickly stood up and met his eyes. "Headmaster Darius. What brings you here?"

Darius was the headmaster of the academy, and while he was the son of one of the academy's founders, his outstanding performance as an instructor had led the staff to almost forcibly elect him as headmaster when the old headmaster retired. While he mostly managed things behind the scenes, he personally taught a few of the more advanced classes and was often challenged to duels by confident students, who usually wound up slightly less confident after he was done with them. He had gone out to take care of some business around the city borders two weeks ago, but he was apparently back.

The headmaster looked at the training dummy, then back at Kagami, who looked so tired that she looked like she'd just gotten her soul sucked out of her body. "I recall seeing you here a lot. You're training again?"

"What else would I be doing?"

Darius scratched his beard. "I was just thinking you should probably know your limits a little better. For all your talents, you really don't have the kind of aptitude to use magic for a prolonged amount of time...and that's a key part of being a mage."

Kagami instantly became defensive. "And why are you reminding me of this?"

"No need for the harsh tone, little miss." Darius replied, shooting her a slightly irate look. "As the headmaster, it's my duty to make sure all the students are on the right path for them. You're a strange one, even among the whole cast of oddballs we've got here, but you're a student nonetheless. Kagami...do you have any idea what you want to do in the future?"

"...I'm not completely sure. I figured I wanted to apply my magic for exploring, fighting, and maybe just working jobs like that."

"With your current potential? That sounds impossible."

Kagami wanted to glare at him, but managed to hold herself back this time. "I know what I want, and I know what I'm doing."

Darius sighed heavily. "What you want might not be what you need. It's my job to ensure that everyone is living up to their full potential - to achieve success. This academy was designed with the goal that every student raised here becomes successful. With your ability, and your potential...to put it simply, I'm not so sure about your chances of success. And if you can't become successful though magic, then this academy might not be for you. Perhaps it'd be in your best interests to abandon the path of magic, and find something that will bring you true success. If anything, this academy has a limited number of spots...I promise that your spot will be put to good use, given to someone with a higher chance at success."

Kagami had gotten used to discouragement, but hearing it from the headmaster of all people still stung. Judging from how Darius generally acted, he had likely approached her with genuinely good intentions, but had his mind twisted by the curse - turning his encouragement into discouragement.

However, she didn't let him see any of that. Turning away, she just shrugged. "I've made my choice."

Darius was silent. Then, he walked away without saying another word. Watching him head over to talk to some of the other students training in the field, Kagami couldn't help but sigh dejectedly again.

_A world with no kindness...is far too cold for life._

_...Yet I still live on._

As day became dusk, Kagami packed up her things and left the academy grounds. In order to make ends meet, she would frequently go down to the city and work part-time jobs to make money. Currently, her job was working as a waitress at a certain restaurant - it wasn't her first job, and it certainly wouldn't be her last.

Upon first arriving at the city, Kagami had found out that Aidi had a unique form of transportation compared to anywhere else she had seen. Alongside the usual carriages, the people of Aidi travelled around using what amounted to magical bubbles, created by a combination of magic and chemistry. Enchanted with powerful magic to ensure their safety and utility, the citizens could use their magic to manipulate the bubbles and use them to ride all around the city - or if they weren't trained in magic, they could have an operator help them.

The bubbles weren't magically demanding to use, so Kagami was able to use them just fine. Stepping into the bubble waiting for her at the designated station, she barely even felt herself pass through it, yet her boots landed on an almost glasslike surface the moment she was inside. Touching the interior and willing it to fully solidify, Kagami channeled magic into it and eased it off the side of the cliff, the bubble gently floating towards the city as if weightless.

As she traveled down the mountainside, Kagami stretched out and looked at the now-familiar scenery - coniferous trees and rugged dirt lining the slopes of the rocky mountain, and the sights of the grand city laid out before her. Aidi was a massive city encircled by huge walls, with Kagami estimating it to be at least the size of Stohle. Unlike Stohle, it wasn't technologically advanced, but it still radiated sophistication - towering buildings of expertly chiseled pale stone, ornately carved black-iron lamps lining the cobblestone streets, gigantic bridges stretching over kilometers of civilization, and massive alabaster palace-like buildings occasionally piercing out of the cityscape. Even the smallest and most humble bits of Aidi's grand architecture network were still neat little buildings made of wood and brick, providing a rustic charm that still showed the effort put into their construction.

Eventually, Kagami arrived at one of the designated stations and released her control over her bubble, stepping out and leaving it in one of the collecting bays to be used by another citizen. Stepping into the rustic restaurant, a gentle bell heralded her arrival as one of the current workers raised their heads. "Oh, it's you. Thank goodness, too - we've got a lot of reservations for tonight."

Kagami stretched her arms and headed into the changing room before donning her uniform - a black vest over a white shirt and black pants. The uniform was remarkably fancier than any of Kagami's usual clothes, which were all casual and practical. Even after she had become able to buy clothes besides her usual tunic-over-shirt-and-leggings getup, she still preferred more plain clothing - in fact, she always made sure she still had a fitting set of her old clothes.

As she headed out, a waiter ran past her and practically thrusted a slip of paper into her hands. "Here are the currently occupied tables. Get to it!"

Kagami quickly got to work, her body replaying the muscle memory that had been drilled into it from prior work. Being a waitress wasn't particularly hard for her, but it was on the tedious side - she had to take very good care not to slip up, because with her curse, her superiors would _not_ give her the benefit of the doubt. She had been punished countless times when starting out, if not outright fired - she knew what it felt like, and she didn't want to feel it again.

The worker from before was right - it was a very busy night. For the next few hours, Kagami had her hands full both figuratively and literally, carrying meals all around the restaurant, dashing around to make sure everyone was served, and answering customer requests. Somehow, despite everyone being stressed, she avoided making any mistakes that would have gotten her reprimanded - or at least, she had hidden them well enough that nobody noticed.

In a snap, hours became seconds. Before she knew it, Kagami's shift had ended - since she was still a student, she didn't work for as many hours as the others. Today was payday as well, so she gratefully accepted the pouch of coins her manager gave to her at the end of the shift.

It wasn't much, but it was honest work. The money earned from jobs like this was enough to let Kagami buy occasional necessities while still living off of the academy's meals. However, just as she stepped outside and greeted a cool night illuminated by a full moon, she heard a rustling noise in the bush behind her - right before pain flooded her body and her vision went red as she was sent tumbling to the ground by some kind of blunt trauma.

Kagami groaned and stumbled to her knees, only for a second object to slam into her back and force her back on the ground. Quickly getting to her feet after the second blow, Kagami's heart sank as she found herself surrounded by shadowy figures, their forms obscured by the darkness of the night.

"Well, well...look who we have here." a mocking voice spoke. "What's our little honor student doing all the way out here?"

 _These people again?_ Kagami groaned internally. She knew that a lot of people were doing poorly in the academy, but she still didn't see why they had to take it out on everyone else. And to make matters even more egregious, while she was in the upper end, Kagami was nowhere near being among the top-scoring students in her age class, much less the academy. If they were out for the academic prodigies, there was no reason to go for her.

No...she'd be deluding herself if she thought these people were actually just jealous of her success. She wouldn't be surprised if half the people here were academically superior to her, more magically skilled than her, or both. She was small, she was relatively powerless, and she passively drew in hatred from everyone around her because of her curse. Anything else was either an excuse, or merely the spark of aggression. If anybody wanted to victimize a fellow student for whatever reason, all they had to do was turn to Kagami - it wasn't like anyone was going to help her. This wasn't the first time she had been accosted, and it wouldn't be the last.

"Working again?" a different voice sneered. "Look at you being all responsible. And it looks like the workers are getting paid today too. I guess it's a real stroke of luck for us then."

Kagami stood up and glared at them. Then she raised her hands and prepared to cast a spell, orbs of light flaring to life around her fingers. However, her concentration was instantly broken by an abrupt barrage of concussive blasts from all directions as the students raised their hands and unleashed magic of their own. 

"Stay down if you know what's good for you."

Her body felt like it had been thrown into a trash compactor. While using magic to harm others outside of duels was frowned upon within the academy, most of the academy rules only applied within the academy premises - they couldn't control what their students did outside the grounds. She had left her magic cloak in her secured dorm room for safety, but without its magic, Kagami doubted she could overpower even one of these students if they were even remotely skilled, much less a dozen of them. But even so...she wasn't about to let them do anything to her without a fight.

Raising her hand again, she let out a blinding flash of light to disorient them. Then, expanding her willpower all around her, she felt her magic grasp at all the pebbles lying around the uneven ground. In a whirlwind of flying flechettes, she sent the rocks arcing in every direction, hearing the ensuing yelps of alarm as the pebbles slashed at her attackers.

However, even that was merely an act of defiance. Once the others recovered their composure, they wasted no time retaliating with their own magic bursts. Tearing through the barrier Kagami erected in an instant, several of them sent electric shocks surging through her body, disrupting her spell. While she was disabled, another grabbed her from behind and slammed her into the sidewalk like a wrestler. Coughing, she kicked out to defend herself, but one of the burlier students effortlessly grabbed her by the ankle and threw her into the walls to the left. As she tried to swing her bag, it was knocked out of her hands, the contents spilling out onto the cobblestones.

Kagami's vision was now too blurry to see straight, but she could make out the flecks of red that indicated that her retaliation had drawn blood. Furious, the first student kicked her in the stomach to knock the wind out of her, before grabbing her by the neck and pinning her to the wall. "Why, you...that hurt! Did you really think you could take on all of us with that sort of power? You're pathetic! A disgrace to the academy, and this city of magic!"

Kagami felt her consciousness fading as her oxygen supply was cut off. For a second, she pondered if this was where she would die. However, she knew better than that. As much as they hurt her, the students would never actually kill her. After all, they were human, and it was a difficult task for someone to bring themselves to take a life, even the life of someone they hated - especially since these were _students,_ not battle-scarred soldiers. The curse made them seem like monsters to Kagami...but they were still human - just humans that had gotten the worst of them forcibly dragged out. She had vowed to never lose sight of their shared humanity, lest she become worse than those who would torment her.

_It's...not their fault. Well, not entirely their fault. Screw them regardless._

As if on cue, her attacker let her go. As her frail body slumped to the ground, one of them grabbed the pouch of coins she had dropped in the scuffle. "Look what we have here. It ain't much, but I think I'll take that off your hands. Don't worry - we'll make good use of it. I'll give it to struggling students - it'll support the students of the academy with actual chances of success."

Another student used their foot and pushed aside the notes that had fallen out of her bag. "Wow...look at all these notes. You've really been trying to soak up everything the instructors give you, huh? Tsk...and what do you have to show for it? This is such a prestigious magic academy, and its fruits are wasted on the likes of you. You aren't even from Aidi...you just showed up from out of nowhere, and you already think you can do better than us?"

A third, angrier-looking student got a wicked grin and raised their hand, flames bursting to life within their palm. "You're making me laugh. You have no potential...why can't you just accept that and roll over? Look at you, trying so hard to subvert your place, when you should just be keeping your head low. It makes me sick. So, let's take those notes off of you, shall we?"

"Whoa, whoa." the student that had taken her money said, raising their hands. "You're going to _burn them?_ Fire magic is dangerous, even for someone like you! Don't you think that might be taking it a bit too far? You can't unburn something, you know."

"I have no reason not to. With my magic, she'd be at no risk of dying, but I'm going to make her suffer for cutting up my face with those pebbles. If she's so smart and hardworking, she can just remake those notes, right?"

Kagami could swear she saw a faint violet flash in her transient defender's eyes as they were instantly convinced. "...If you say so."

This was where Kagami snapped. Her scrapes and bruises could heal, and her money could be earned back. But her notes, that she had painstakingly taken over countless lessons and practice sessions? Those weren't recorded, and Kagami couldn't turn back time. Those notes were not things she could get back, and they were both an invaluable asset to her studies and a testament to her efforts - proof that she was trying to overcome the odds.

Letting out a cry of fury, Kagami stood up in spite of her oxygen-drained body and aching throat, drawing in as much ambient magic as she could. Feeling cold dread enveloping her form, she let loose with a burst of icy-cold wind that drove back her attackers. However, to her utter shock, the primary aggressor raised their hand and, without any hesitation, blasted Kagami with flames. The fire wasn't particularly hot or intense, but it was _fire_ nonetheless.

The girl screamed and fell to the ground, fire enveloping her body and scorching at her skin. Her attacker stopped the stream of fire after only a few seconds, but it had still been enough to ignite parts of her cloak, not to mention _painful as hell._ While she was busy panicking and rolling around in pain-induced panic, she heard another fiery whoosh as the students made good on their promise and torched her bag.

As she tried desperately to protect her notes, she felt another wave of scorching heat as they blasted her with another bolt of fire, re-igniting her cloak before running away. Despite the burning heat, Kagami felt colder than ever, frigid despair choking the life out of her.

That cold soon became colder as she felt a deluge of ice-cold water splash onto her, extinguishing the flames but totally soaking her. Standing at the door of the nearest store with a bucket in hand, an irate shopkeeper glared at her. "What do you think you're doing? You're going to start a fire like that - in front of my store, no less! If you kids want to burn something, do it outside of the city!"

As the door slammed angrily, Kagami just laid there like a sack of sad potatoes. Feebly, she reached out to what was left of her bag, grabbing at whatever she could. While some of her papers were safe, the vast majority had either been burnt to cinders, or utterly soiled by the water thrown on her.

_It's too late._

Water dripped from her entire body, but she could make out the tell-tale feeling of silent tears leaking from her eyes, warming her ice-cold face. Gathering up everything she could and standing up, she tried to stop the intensifying tears - and not only did she fail, she couldn't choke back a whimpering sob.

Why should she cry? Crying wouldn't solve her problems. Crying couldn't save things of value, nor could it bring back what was lost. No matter how much she cried, she wouldn't be able to do anything. Then why was she still crying?

_What worth was there in fallen tears?_

The area she was in was populated - at least a dozen people had borne witness to her being attacked and outright _set on fire_ by a bunch of people, but not a single person had raised a finger to help her. To anyone who had no reason to circumvent her curse - namely, _everyone_ here - her suffering was less important than that of a wild animal. If anything, they were starting to give her irate looks, like her crying upset them.

Warm. Her tears were warm - the sole source of warmth spreading through her chilly body. She almost didn't want to wipe them away...but then, something happened. A familiar warmth started seeping into her body, as if a pair of arms were wrapping around her.

_Don't give up! I...I'm here for you, always._

At the sound of the familiar voice, Kagami gasped and turned around, only to find that there was nothing behind her. However, as she closed her eyes again, the warmth didn't subside, in fact intensifying. She felt warm, smooth fingers wiping away her tears, fluffy cloth enveloping her - and when she opened her eyes again, she was greeted by a familiar face.

_Keep believing. I still believe, after all._

Kagami blinked again, and Kagura was gone. In a snap, all of the warmth and other comforting feelings subsided, leaving her wet and cold again.

She shook her head, almost angrily. What was that? The small glimpse of her dear departed companion had comforted her, but it was still concerning. Had she already gone mad? Had her loneliness so deeply penetrated her psyche that she was now legitimately hallucinating?

_Once in a while...if this is what I see...should I mind visions like this?_

As comforting as it was, it made Kagami upset. Her mind was recreating images of her friend in order to cope with despair...but it still didn't feel right. Was she really so mentally weak that she was unable to survive without her presence? Kagura would have never approved of something like this.

If she continued indulging in this imaginary reassurance, her mental state would likely further deteriorate. So as reassuring as it was to see Kagura again, Kagami would have to reject the reassurance. No matter what she did, she would never stop cherishing Kagura's memory...but she could at the very least survive using her own hopes and dreams.

So, she stood up. She gathered her things. And she set off back towards the academy. She'd just need to cut back even more on spending for a few weeks...and her memory would need to serve as she repaired her notes. It wouldn't be easy, but Kagami would recover, as she had always recovered.

_All the pain will be worth it eventually._

That was what she told herself. That was what she had to believe in.

_Eight years after the departure. Kagami: age 26._

_7 AM. Wake up, get dressed, and use the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, eat a healthy breakfast. Rest for twenty minutes, and then go for a jog._

_9 AM. Observe recorded footage of explorers in the Temple of Radiance, and record all possible patterns within its defenses. Make sure to file them all in their appropriate folders._

_11 AM. Go outside and tend to the plants. Go to the village market and buy things. If short on cash or otherwise unable to buy food, harvest whatever plants won't go bad quickly, and hunt the wildlife for meat._

_12 AM. Lunch. Spare no expense. The afternoon is the most intense part of the day._

_Remainder of afternoon. Continuously send magical drones into the Temple of Radiance. Try every possibility and note down every pattern. Do not be afraid of failure. For now, there is no consequence in failure. Power through fatigue - no matter how tiring it gets, more tries equals a higher chance of success when the day comes._

_7 PM. Cook dinner. Eating light is okay sometimes, but never miss a meal._

_8 PM. Send more drones into the Temple. Always need more information and practice._

_Continue until too exhausted to go on, then shower and go to bed. Never sleep after midnight unless it's to make a crucial discovery. Rest is important._

_Interrupt all scheduling if explorers enter the temple. Record their experiences at all costs, and hope they never clear all the trials._

This was the life that the 26-year-old Kagami had adopted once she had obtained a concrete goal to strive towards. Every day, she would repeat this sequence almost exactly, rarely deviating from her personal instructions. In order to achieve her new goal, she would need diligence, patience, determination, and a _lot_ of effort.

In spite of all her disadvantages and the constant depressing incidents, Kagami had managed to graduate from her magic academy. From her five years there, she had gathered a vast wealth of knowledge and practice regarding how to manipulate magic - once she was out of the academy, and thus able to use Kagura's cape to augment her powers, her potential skyrocketed. Now that she had an increased power output to back up her thoughts, she was able to put her knowledge to use.

Suddenly, everything seemed within reach. She could manifest more powerful attacks than before, wield a variety of magic types, maintain her spells more consistently, and use magic to strengthen or heal her body. She had even managed to successfully enchant objects by inundating them with her will - something that not every mage was able to do.

However, it still wasn't enough. Kagami's powers were versatile and honed, but her power output was still below that of her fellow graduates, and nowhere near a professional. Even with Kagura's cape, her imaginative casting mind was limited by how much energy she could store with her, and therefore how much energy she could expel at once. Her studies and training had let her tap into more of her latent potential, but the sum of her improvements was still only able to achieve magic output that was middling at best. She still had to be careful to not use magic too fast, lest she collapse on the spot.

Kagami soon came to a simple conclusion - she needed to find something to further augment her strength, something that would give her power like the professional mercenaries she aspired to be. The good news was that her readings had taught her that the continent of Lurie was peppered with all manner of fantastic artifacts that could definitely help her. The bad news was that these tended to be very difficult to obtain - either needing complex searching and processing, victory over beings of godlike strength wishing to test mortals, and the like.

However, she had lucked out a little over a year ago. In the newspaper, she had read about a curious event that had occurred the day before - the sudden appearance of a massive temple, built smack dab in the middle of a field a few kilometers southwest from Aidi. When explorers first approached it, they had been blinded and scattered by the appearance of a mysterious god of light, who had instantly announced their intentions - this self-proclaimed "Xeiuos" had created a subterranean complex, which he had called the Temple of Radiance, as a trial to test aspiring mortals. The god warned that the trials would be exceedingly dangerous, but promised that the first person to fully clear his trial would be granted a weapon of massive power, one that would let the user wield a fragment of his radiant powers should he deem them worthy.

Initially, local adventurers and mercenaries flocked to the temple like wildfire, while others held back and waited for the first groups to enter before making a decision. However, months passed, and countless warriors perished within the temple's walls, slain by one of Xeiuos' many trials. Others got lost in the labyrinthine maze, never to return. Those who managed to escape were traumatized, muttering about the dangers that laid in the inner sanctums for weeks on end.

The sudden wave of initial deaths drove fear into many of the would-be challengers. Soon, the flow of people trying to conquer the temple slowed down to a steady trickle, with many deeming it not worth the potential effort. However, as a result, Kagami decided to take a look into the temple, but even she knew that even observing it could be fatal if she didn't prepare enough.

The freshly-graduated mage practiced for a few days to summon little magical drones - small golden orbs that she could see through and retrieve at will. Sending into the temple, she had watched in on a few parties trying to clear the trials, and soon noticed something odd. Obviously the layout of the temple and its traps never changed, but after several parties went into the same trial, the behavior of the defenses and guards were exactly the same. Even when a party modified anything, by the time the next challengers had arrived, the defenses would completely reset themselves.

_There's no way...is there?_

Trying a few more times, Kagami confirmed her suspicions. Whoever this Xeiuos was, they had designed every defense in the temple not only to remain static, but to use a fixed sequence of particular behaviors when provoked. She stood no chance against any of the defenses or guardians in a head-on battle - but theoretically, if she was able to learn every single aspect about the temple, record and counter every single defense...she could possibly formulate a perfect solution that would allow even someone as weak as her to clear all the trials. If she could enhance her drones, she had unlimited tries - and if she had unlimited tries, then what was stopping her from just learning every facet of the trial?

Kagami saw an opportunity to stake her life on a chance of success. First of all, she pooled all her money and bought a tiny cabin in the middle of the forest near the Temple - she could take care of herself in the wild just fine, and if the nearby villagers thought she was even weirder, she honestly didn't care. Nobody had wanted it and the previous owner was selling it for a very cheap price, but she had still needed to shut down their attempt to take advantage of what they probably thought was a naive fledgling with no experience in economics.

Then, she practiced furiously to enhance her magical drones - after a few weeks, she was able to channel limited magic through them to manipulate their surroundings, and store her memories of their vision in Kagura's cape. Once she was prepared, she put together a rigorous lifestyle and started sending drones into the temple daily - recording every infinitesimal facet about its layout, its design, its defenses, its guardians, et cetera. She would write down all her findings in countless notes, and eventually, the beginnings of an attack plan started forming.

The amount of work she was doing was almost too much for Kagami to handle. Many times, she had nearly collapsed from the strain of maintaining her spells, and sometimes she outright fainted if she hadn't eaten enough that day. In addition, while she made a point of going to sleep relatively early, she often ended up staying awake due to restless thoughts prompting her to make more notes, leaving her sleep-deprived a good chunk of the time. And of course, she had to balance this with things like managing her cabin, going to the market, working occasional jobs to earn money, and even occasional attacks from unscrupulous individuals. It was almost too much for her to handle. _Almost._

Kagami refused to yield to fate. This was her shot, and she was damn well going to shoot it. It didn't matter how hard she'd have to work, or how much she'd have to suffer...if she was able to succeed, it would all be worth it. Pain was temporary, but what she'd get if she successfully completed the trial would last forever.

So, she had kept this up over the course of the last year, tirelessly working every day in search of a solution to the puzzle by using the experiences of those before her as her springboard. She understood that the footage she had recorded was taken from unfortunate adventurers who had lost their lives in the temple, but once she got over the initial horror, she somehow didn't feel too guilty for effectively profiting off of their deaths. She wasn't sending them to their dooms, nor had she even interacted with them in any way - they had made the choice of their own volition, and Kagami was just taking advantage of the circumstances. And although she did still feel sadness for the deaths, a part of her still scorned humanity - this was the same part that hoped that nobody would succeed before she did. Would she still pray for their departed souls? For sure. Would she abandon her goal for these sentiments? Absolutely not.

One day, she managed to create a complete map of the temple. Now aware of its complete layout, she started making more plans as to _how_ to actually clear it. After realizing the full extent of the temple's defenses, she had devised a plan to hijack some of its mechanical parts and weaponize them for her own means. The most obvious ways to do this would be to pull out lighter traps like magical beam shooters and spikes and use them as weapons, or use the remnants of the guards or magical machinery to fuel her magic. She'd also have to make sure to temper her plans with her own power level in mind, but this part was easier. Because the drones were fragments of her magic, their own magic was weaker or equal to her own, but never stronger. Anything her drones were able to do, she would be able to do in person as well.

Cue countless hours of planning, and Kagami had managed to devise a path that'd allow her to avoid as many defenses as possible, and neutralize any that she could not avoid. However, she had arrived at a major roadblock - the final guardian of the temple.

That thing was a monster above all others. Only a handful of adventurers had made it to the temple's final chamber, and none had made it out. A winged, four-armed golem with the features of an angel but the face of a demon resided in that central chamber, and its power seemed to border on divinity. No matter how much Kagami planned, she couldn't shake the feeling that at her current power level, no amount of strategy would beat something like that. Her only advantage was that the thing seemed to only attack when attacked first - so she'd have to milk that advantage as much as she could.

But one spring day, after countless breakthroughs and an equal amount of failures, after rewriting the plans dozens of times...Kagami struck gold. A theoretically perfect plan guaranteed to give her success...well, if she was able to keep up with it in real time, if nothing out of the ordinary happened, and nothing went wrong.

None of those were particularly reassuring, but Kagami had finally found a solution to her puzzle, and she refused to let go of it no matter how absurd it was. After practicing the required techniques for a while, Kagami could feel that no matter she did past this point, she'd never be more ready than she was now.

And so, she prepared for her descent into the Temple of Radiance. All or nothing, death or glory. She'd either make it out victorious, or lose her life within the depths.

Kagami had to say, her diagram of the temple made it look a lot smaller than it actually was. Even before she entered the temple, she had needed to do a massive amount of discreet preparation in order for her plan to actually work, and she had almost gotten lost a few times despite having a map. This was going to be a _long_ battle for her - she estimated it'd take a week or so at the least.

As she had predicted, everything was exactly the same as it had been the last time adventurers had gone into the temple, and every time before that. Carefully consulting all of her notes, Kagami slowly and methodically ventured through the temple, eliminating all the threats one by one.

She cut metal cables transmitting magical energy to lethal contraptions, and used small stones to trigger defenses early. She drew the attention of the magic golems one by one, then struck the chinks of their armor with magic attacks - melting their joints with heat, or shattering weak points with focused bursts of concussive force. When magic wouldn't suffice, she'd resort to her old tactics, swiftly piercing weak points with metal pins accelerated at high velocity. Sometimes, she set up simple traps like tripwires, or lured them into their own traps. Every time a golem perished, Kagami grabbed the core crystals that evidently powered them and stuffed them into her bag.

Hours became days, and days became a week. Navigating the temple was easy, but disarming every single one of the defenses in her way was taking _much_ longer than she had initially scheduled - just because she knew how to get rid of them didn't mean that actually doing it was any easier. Constant work and light sleeping was starting to erode at Kagami's body and mind. Kagami recalled looking at her dwindling supplies and wincing - she had only brought so much food, and if she ran out, she'd either have to starve to death or flee. She might live, but all her efforts would be wasted since the temple would reset - and to make matters worse, she had heard from before going in that another party was planning on entering soon afterwards. If someone actually capable of clearing the trials went in when she was recovering, she was screwed.

On the fourth day of the second week, Kagami finally made it into the inner sanctums. From that point on, the traps and golems would have caused such massive collateral damage that if a challenger survived, the road ahead would get even more difficult. Kagami had needed to very meticulously figure out how to disarm or destroy them - she very strongly remembered the nights sketching away at her work station.

There were a few particularly strong guards stationed around the final area, but she used illusion magic to lure them into an opening before collapsing some of the architecture on them. The massive explosion should have alerted everything within a few hundred meters, but she had eliminated all resistance on the path she had taken - and the remaining golems seemed content to continue patrolling their limited paths.

The door to the final chamber was protected by a series of puzzles that required the challenger to input codes, move heavy objects around, or otherwise carry out various tasks. It would be very hard to get this on the first try - and the temple would definitely try to kill you if you failed - but after observing this many times with more stealthy magical drones, Kagami had realized that Xeiuos had left everything hidden in plain sight. Hints, tools, and even outright solutions to the problems were scattered around the very room, but in a way where you would not normally suspect them to be of any use. It had taken Kagami a good dozen looks at the room for her to even find a single clue to the puzzles.

_For a light god, this guy's trials are really sadistic..._

However, it was still no matter for her. Using her self-written guides, Kagami solved the puzzles, causing the massive mechanical door to open up. Grabbing all of her supplies and pilfered goods, she threw them all into the chamber ahead before venturing back and forth through her cleared path several times, picking up all the disabled defenses she had left behind. She'd normally never be able to carry so much heavy weaponry, but one of the earlier puzzles had involved traversing a maze on a floating magical cart that seemed to defy gravity. Instead of leaving it behind, Kagami had straight-up stolen it from the puzzle and used it as her pack mule. But even then, she needed several trips to take all of her stolen equipment with her - thank goodness she had taken the ones closest to the entrance first, or she would have been wasting a lot of time.

Once she threw the last cart of goods inside, she ventured in herself - and even though she was expecting it, the sound of the door slamming behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin.

Catching her breath, Kagami gazed around her - only to lose it again. While the design of the temple had been relatively simplistic, the central chamber was vastly different. It was a gigantic space about the size of a Stohle city block, with a domed stalactite-laden ceiling high enough to fit one of Aidi's smaller towers. Carved golden support beams ran through the rock walls like veins, and towering multi-level temple-like architecture lined the edges of the room. Rather than rough stone, the ground was a grid of polished stone and metal, with countless veins of shimmering energy converging on a raised white-and-gold pedestal in the middle.

However, what was _on_ the pedestal nearly made Kagami jump out of her skin a second time.

Sitting smack dab in the center of the vast space like the main attraction it was, the final guardian of the temple engulfed Kagami in its shadow. It was a golem like the other guardians, but this one was massive - roughly thirty meters tall by her estimates - and far more monstrous. From its back sprouted six angelic wings with feathers made of crystallized blue light. These were a stark contrast to its face, which was a long, pale skull with glowing blue fireballs for eyes and large branching horns - a skull like a wendigo demon from myth, except that it had an angelic halo. Its hulking golden body was made of what appeared to be confusing, spiralling mechanical parts that somehow still looked organic, and it boasted four huge metallic arms that ended in razor-sharp golden claws. Golden spines embedded with translucent crystals jutted from its back, and in the center of its body, wrapped in golden vines and gripped by armored ribs, a huge golden jewel shone with an almost overwhelming light.

It looked living yet mechanical, divine yet demonic, beautiful yet terrible. A titanic monster that inspired both awe and terror, its mere presence a silent warning of the power its would-be challengers would need to overcome to gain its creator's favor.

A part of Kagami wanted to just shrivel up and flee. That thing gave off so much power that it felt like she was going to be crushed flat by the pressure alone. But even if she wanted to leave, the door had closed behind her - this was the point of no return. So, she grit her teeth and forced herself to stand. _I made a plan for this. Even something as terrifying as this...has weaknesses. And if it has weaknesses...it isn't immortal!_

Unperturbed, the guardian didn't move an inch. Like Kagami had written down, the thing seemed unwilling or unable to fight until the challenger made it the first move. Clearly, Xeiuos was willing to give his challengers the advantage in the situation - or perhaps it was a disadvantage in some ways, but it was definitely the former for Kagami. So, while it wasn't exactly the most heroic or brave of options, Kagami had decided to have the monster wait a little bit before their engagement as she prepared.

For the next day or so, Kagami shuffled around the chamber, planting all of the defenses she had stolen. This went on for several hours, until she had effectively rigged the entire chamber with Xeiuos' own traps. Then, she gathered up all the metallic wires that had powered the devices and laid them all around the chamber, bundling them together in such a messy way that it would have made any engineer either try to strangle her or nod in approval. She didn't know what they were made of, but it seemed to conduct magic and allow the traps to function when powered, so the wires would work as a manual activator for her new weapons.

After painstakingly aligning them in the way she had documented in her notebooks, Kagami set her rucksack down in a corner of the chamber and took out one of the last of her pre-made meals, her circadian rhythm telling her it was nighttime. It was just a sandwich, but it was still food, so Kagami devoured it eagerly. Then, she leaned against her baggage, yawned, and closed her eyes, trying not to dwell on the pressure of what she was about to do.

Her task would be brutal, with a high chance of failing and getting her killed instantly. But in this moment, all she knew was whatever she did tomorrow would be done better on a full stomach and a fresh mind.

The next day, Kagami ate breakfast and made final preparations. Once she was sure everything was in place, she decided to just go for it before hesitation or fear clouded her judgements and aptitude even more than it already had.

The first strike would be the deadliest. This golem's defenses were the weakest right before its activation, and Kagami was banking on her ability to do as much damage to it as possible before it could defend itself. She doubted she'd be able to outright destroy it instantly, but it was a start.

So, once everything was in place, Kagami grabbed a particular bundle of wires in her hand, and a satchel full of the crystals she had stolen from the lesser guardians with the other. Steeling herself, she clenched her fist and channeled all of her available magic into the wires - and as pulses of magic shot through the web of wires snaking through the chamber, Kagami's grand machine came to life.

With the sound of an angry beast awakening from its slumber, several mechanisms burst to life at the same time, firing countless rays of golden light towards the golem. They struck it in a wave of explosive radiance, washing Kagami's vision in brilliant light and shaking the chamber from the shock waves. While the barrage had looked random, Kagami had aimed the beams to target weak points within the golem's body - its joints, the crystalline spines from which she had seen it cast spells, and the metallic spikes protecting its crystalline core. While the exertion nearly caused her to collapse, she pulled one of her stolen power crystals out of her satchel and absorbed its magic, replenishing herself.

As the beast was enveloped in explosions, a part of Kagami hoped that she had done it in. That part promptly shriveled up and died when she heard an ear-splitting roar tear through the air, and the four-armed golem tore through the curtain of explosions, its own aura flaring to life as a spherical barrier started forming around it. Growling, the crystal spines jutting out from its back started lighting up in multiple colors as its six wings spread out, glowing with pale energy.

Kagami was terrified, but she wasn't done yet. As the golem prepared to attack, there were several heavy clanks as Kagami triggered the second wave of traps. As glowing nodes shot the golem with rays of light that crystallized and immobilized parts of its body, javelins shot from the traps laid beneath the golem, flying into the guardian and shattering the devices emanating the shield. She had observed that whenever it formed its barrier, it would always form starting from the two largest spines on its back before expanding over its body. If she attacked from below, she could bypass the barrier during its formation and break the apparatus that generated them. As a bonus, her shelling was damaging both the prismatic spines that it used to cast many of its spells, as well as the wings that let it fly. A more gifted mage could not have broken apart such a powerful being so easily, much less Kagami - but Xeiuos had designed his later defenses to be obscenely powerful, and Kagami was now using that against him.

The guardian roared again, shrugging off the waves of explosive bolts and preparing to attack. However, Kagami had worn away at its limbs by means of the energy traps and the javelins now lodged between its joints, and its colossal punch was slow enough for Kagami to avoid using wind magic - although the pressure wave still stunned her briefly. As per her plans, she had started on a platform that no longer had any wires or traps on it, meaning that it was fine if it was destroyed.

Kagami leapt from platform to platform with wind magic, avoiding the golem's nuclear magic blasts and four-armed melee slams while triggering the next set of traps with each leap - recharging with her stolen energy crystals during what precious seconds of downtime she had. The thing was intelligent enough to lead its shots, but not intelligent enough to outsmart Kagami faking it out. Not helping was the fact that it seemed only able to use a limited number of attack types, most of which Kagami had made sure to disable by targeting the structures on its body that seemed to conduct magic the most. She had seen this thing fight before, and it would normally be too fast for her to react to - however, the amount of damage she had dealt in the first second of the battle, coupled with the various debilitating spells her stolen turrets had hit the thing with, had significantly slowed it down. And thank goodness for that, too - facing a being this strong with a body as frail as hers, a single hit would probably instantly do her in.

With a swipe of her finger, Kagami sent another jolt of magic into a set of wires, sending several explosive charges hurtling towards the guardian. The resulting blast shook the entire chamber and sent shrapnel hurtling everywhere as it blew off even more of the golem's armor. Noticing that its core was now exposed, Kagami took her chance and triggered the nearest trap, launching a weighted javelin straight into its core, which then exploded.

_Yes!_

The core shattered...revealing that Kagami had just blown off the outer layers of a complex structure. Housed within an octahedral shell of metal and crystal, a far smaller gem flared to life, causing all of the guardian's armor to shatter. Amidst the shower of rubble, tendrils of lightning spread out throughout the metal skeleton of the giant, growing and reaching out like a tree's roots.

Kagami had no idea what it was doing, but she figured it was bad news. She leapt to the next platform and primed her next wave of weaponry, only for a colossal pressure wave to send her flying across the room. She tumbled through the air and landed painfully at the foot of the closed doorway, the shock temporarily paralyzing her.

Turns out the knockback had saved her. Its deep roar rapidly devolving into an unholy screech, the tendrils of light spreading through the golem from the inside out suddenly turned solid, transforming its body from an intricate matrix of carved metal to a colossal, vaguely humanoid aggregate of bright reddish-gold crystals. With another scream, the tips of the crystals glowed as it released an omnidirectional shower of fiery laser beams in every direction. The beams struck all of the platforms simultaneously, their explosive power instantly destroying every last one of the traps Kagami had set up.

Kagami gaped at the destruction as the beast stopped its barrage, its spiky crystalline body smoking. It seemed to be resting for now, but that didn't change the fact that it had instantly _destroyed Kagami's means of attack._ Without those traps...she had only her own meager powers to defeat a godlike construct. Worse still, while she had softened it up, this new form seemed almost unscathed. What was she supposed to do now? If she took a single hit, she was a goner!

Then she grit her teeth. She _didn't_ only have her powers. She had the ingenuity of one who had solved all the gruelling challenges her academy had thrown at her, and devised a solution to a deadly trial through a year of nonstop trial and error. And on top of that, she had the determination of one who had survived for 26 years in a world where her own kind was turned against her, and one who survived the lowest position of a kingdom where the lowest were treated like dirt. With all these talents, and the blessing of the greatest girl in the world riding on her shoulders, she was not about to give up just because her admittedly-fragile plans had been ruined.

_I've come too far! I won't let a random wrench in the plans stop me!_

As she screamed defiance at the golem, Kagami's mind raced to piece together every last advantage she had left in order to formulate a final stand. What did she have left? Disabled defenses could still possibly be useful, and she had a few tools left in her backpack. Now how to use those effectively…?

As if to hasten her thinking, the final guardian woke up again. Clutching one of her stolen power crystals in her hands, Kagami warped the air around her, turning her invisible to the naked eye. She doubted that this would confuse the guardian for long, but it might last long enough to make a plan.

Taking advantage of her affinity for illusions and light magic, Kagami cast another spell, causing various lookalikes to appear around the room. Instinctively, the golem screeched and glowed like a sun, lashing out with giant energy rays that left charred, sizzling craters where the decoys once were - but Kagami was starting to notice that whenever one of its spines fired, it would seem to overheat and become unusable for a bit. Discarding her crystal and grabbing as many more as she could fit in her arms, she reached into her bag and pulled out the glassy stone she had found in the land of fire and ash.

Up until this point, she had only ever used it as a hand warmer, since even after learning it indeed did have a very high affinity for fire magic, she couldn't pump enough magic into it at once to achieve any other effects. But now that she had a power source, she was willing to bank on her hypothesis. Gathering all the crystals, Kagami dispelled her invisibility to better focus, picturing all of the crystals linking together in an arcane network. Placing her right hand on her pile, she clutched the incendiary stone in the other and focused, channeling all her available magic into it as she felt power surging up her right arm, through her body, and down her left.

The sudden surge of heat burned her hand and nearly made her drop it, but she managed to levitate it with magic before it outright turned her fingers to ash. A split second later, all of that pent-up energy burst from the crystal in the form of a devastating blast of concentrated heat. 

The explosive burst struck the golem squarely in the chest and erupted with a force like a volcano, staggering the massive beast. The sheer heat and force generated by the beam tore into its crystal armor, liquefying the parts directly hit by the burst while blasting apart everything around it. The beam only lasted a second or two, but it had caused massive damage, blowing open a hole in the golem's chest and exposing its glowing core once more.

Kagami's vision swam as the strain of fully exhausting her magic nearly caused her to faint. Absorbing the energy of yet another stolen crystal, she grimaced at her dwindling supply - but she could offer no time to spare for it. Noticing a nearby explosive trap that had been cleaved apart in the golem's prior outburst, she made a dash for it - but the golem was faster. Screaming, it raised two hands above its head as the other two prepared magic attacks.

Staring at her impending doom, Kagami realized she needed to get away. She ducked under the two blasts of magic that seemed to ignite the whole room in their brilliance, but the aftershocks staggered her long enough for the golem to zero in on her. Roaring, it hammered down on her with its other two hands, and Kagami barely managed to avoid it with a burst of wind magic.

Even after dodging, the repercussions were immense. Kagami's eardrums were nearly ruptured by the sound, and the force had sent her flying across the massive chamber like a rag doll. Slamming into a wall, she screamed as she felt a few of her fragile bones crack on impact. As she slumped to the ground, pain spreading through her body, she noticed that since the golem had hammered the explosives Kagami had been trying to grab, the resulting blast had blown away most of the two hands it had used. Whatever this new crystalline armor was, it conducted magic _really_ well, but it was also a _lot_ weaker than its previous armor.

 _The opening...isn't big enough…_ Kagami's addled brain thought to itself. She needed to blast a bigger hole in its armor. Once she could get to the core...if she could just get to the core…

Then she remembered she wasn't out of tricks. Clutching her starry cape, Kagami closed her eyes despite her fight-or-flight response screaming at her not to. She imagined the most comforting thing she could think of, the thing that would make her feel safest - her dear friend Kagura, standing beside her with her sword raised.

_Don't give up, Kagami. I'm rooting for you!_

Her magic responded to her call as it had all the other times she had imagined this. Dozens of blades of golden light manifested around her, wreathed in silvery mist - and with a swipe of her hand, Kagami sent them at her foe.

The golem blasted a few out of the air with magic and swatted at some others with its massive arms - but in such an offense-based form along with having two arms damaged too much to protect itself, its defensive measures were limited. The blades dug into its armor, absorbing the colossal amounts of magical energy that the golem was producing. Then, in a flash of gold, all of them exploded simultaneously, causing the golem to wail as it went up in an explosion of radiant light and crystalline shrapnel.

Kagami could have sworn she passed out for a second from exertion, but that was up in the air considering she hadn't been blasted to shreds while unconscious. One of the bits of shrapnel had dug into her shoulder, disturbingly close to piercing her neck, but she sucked it up and reassessed the situation. The golem's armor had been mostly destroyed, but she wasn't sure if she could get in close enough to end the fight before being vaporized. Worse still, she was on her last three power crystals.

Her fingers found her backpack, burnt to tatters by the fighting. Within it, she rummaged around until she found the last of her tools. But within her bag was something she had nearly forgotten about - and _would_ have forgotten about, if she had not had the foresight to pack every single object that could maybe be useful to her in her trial. Clutched in her hands alongside the last of her metallic pins and her electric knife, Kagami held the knife-sized translucent gem the Crystal Lord had given her all those years ago.

_This thing is immensely powerful, but its power is sealed behind an immensely dense barrier of...something. I don't have enough power to release it, but could this thing…?_

She was running out of options, so she decided to wing it. Charging up her magic, she fired the last volley of pins before building up compressed air behind the octahedral crystal. Upon seeing the golem melt her pins into slag with focused lasers before aiming another at her, she leapt from the platform to dodge the attack and fired the crystal straight at the golem's core.

With many of its crystals seemingly cooling off, the golem tried to intercept the incoming projectile with a beam directly from its core. Kagami's crystal lasted roughly one second, getting less than a meter from the golem's core before the overwhelming energy attack finally managed to crack it.

In a flash like a supernova, the crystal shattered, erupting in a blast more powerful than anything Kagami had ever seen in recent memory. The shockwave slammed her against the wall again, blew away the rubble of her traps like tumbleweeds, and seemed to physically erode the stone bricks making up the chamber walls. As for the golem, stuck at the epicenter of the blast, it was only able to let out a strained yelp as the explosion struck it at point-blank range.

But as soon as it had started, it was over. The golem had been laid out in a crumpled heap on the ground - almost all of its crystal armor had been shattered, leaving behind its metallic skeleton, its cracked skull, its shattered wings, and the flickering core within its chest.

Kagami was in almost as bad a shape as the golem. Her body had been thoroughly lacerated from both the shockwave and the shrapnel, and she could feel blood dripping from a disturbing number of places where blood was _not_ supposed to be. She was barely able to grab her last remaining crystal and recharge her magic, but even then she was almost unable to get to her feet.

Before she could even ask herself if she had finally done the deed, her heart sank as she saw the golem twitch. Then, it let out a strained whine as its body started moving again, struggling to stand.

_You've got to be kidding me. That thing isn't dead yet?_

If Kagami had strength to spare, she would have pulled her hair out. Even in this crippled state, such a massive magic golem could still kill her with a flick of its finger. She needed to finish the fight - now!

Her eyes frantically flitted over the chamber for anything she could use. She was out of tools, out of traps, and out of time. But a cracking noise from above her alerted her to a change in the environment - she had been given another weapon.

Using the last of her magic, Kagami sent a fireball into the ceiling of the cave. The stalactites, which had been loosened by the massive explosion, were freed from their supports by her fireball, crashing down on the downed golem. Its wings were utterly ruined, its skull was shattered, and its unshielded body was pulverized by tons of falling rocks, subjected to the cruel mercies of gravity.

Now without any magic to use, Kagami made a break for the golem, ignoring the agonizing burning in her limbs. As long as its core was still active, she wasn't sure if it would stay down. And sure enough, the thing started trying to move again - nothing would stop it except the finishing blow.

Screaming out, Kagami approached her foe and leapt into the golem's chest cavity - her arms clutching the core crystal. Raising her knife, she tried to stab it, only for the material to effortlessly deflect her blade.

"Come on, come on!" Kagami almost cried, repeatedly stabbing the crystal as the golem righted itself and started to stand on what was left of its four arms. Even cracked and damaged, the core refused to yield to mortal steel - or perhaps Kagami just lacked the strength to break it in her weakened state. In desperation, Kagami abandoned the knife and pressed her hands to the crystal, drawing on its power even though she knew it might overwhelm her.

Instantly, the sensation of white-hot fire coursed through her body, nearly causing her to black out yet again. But Kagami's resolve was made of far sturdier stuff than her body was. Gritting her teeth, she willed the magic to flow out of her body at the same rate that it was flowing in, the roiling energy flowing through her and into the body of the golem. Having seized its power and turned it against its master, Kagami let out a final scream as she willed the magic to melt, disintegrate, and destroy its conduits - and as the metal of the golem's skeleton warped and melted, the core crystal cracked, splintered, and finally shattered.

There was no colossal explosion, no screaming, no erupting light rays. The crystal almost dissolved, and the golem just...stopped. As Kagami tumbled out of the wreckage, she vaguely made out a massive shadow overtaking her vision before a colossal weight struck her lower body. Subjected to the sudden agony, her constitution finally met its limit, and Kagami fainted amidst the rubble.

...But after what seemed like only an instant, Kagami's eyes snapped open again.

The first thing she noticed was the pain. Dull, yet fiery pain consuming her entire body. But if she felt pain, then that meant she _probably_ wasn't dead - she hadn't died from blood loss, nor had the golem reawakened and killed her.

And if she was still alive, and the golem was dead…

_...Did I...beat the trial? I...really did it?_

The mere notion was unbelievable, inconceivable. This was something that was not supposed to happen, considering the natural laws and workings of, well, everything. Someone like her had never been supposed to clear such a gruelling trial. But the empirical facts were laid before her - she was at the last chamber of the temple, and the golem was destroyed.

But more pressing was that the golem had decided to spite her one final time. When it had fallen apart, what was left of its metal skeleton had fallen on top of Kagami - and while it hadn't killed her, her lower legs were now crushed beneath countless tons of metal. She could probably turn around to look at what was left of them, but she _really_ didn't want to. She could already feel that she was covered in dried blood - she didn't need any more visuals of just how injured she was.

But how was she going to get out? If she had actually won, then what now? With her legs ruined and pinned beneath the massive golem, she wasn't about to do much. With her body completely drained and fatigued, she had two options - wait to regenerate enough magic and see if she could lift the rubble enough to pull herself from out beneath it, or grab the nearest sharp object and try to saw off her legs. And considering the latter made her want to faint just thinking about it, she decided to try for the former.

So she waited. She felt so accomplished that her brain was unable to process it, merely blending it with her overwhelming fatigue. She fought the fatigue, trying not to close her eyes...if she blacked out again, who knew if it would be the last time?

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw a bright flash, before a warm yet huge presence overwhelmed her ravaged senses. Then, a deep yet serene voice rumbled through the chamber, shaking every atom in Kagami's body. "Are you...my victorious challenger?"

In her addled state, Kagami just laughed and cried simultaneously at the sight of ethereal wings floating into her vision. "An...angel? Haha, so you're real...will you take me away now?"

The voice spoke again. "I waited for so long for someone to clear my trials, for someone to overcome the challenges I had laid out. I would never have known that a little girl would be the first one to best my temple."

Kagami was too tired to take offense.

"...Let me make things easier for you." the voice rumbled again. The wreckage of the golem became enveloped in golden light, before being lifted off of Kagami's legs. The girl whimpered as she felt the sudden feeling of her shattered legs being exposed to cold air again, only for gold light to envelop her as well. In mere seconds, she felt her wounds closing, her body healing, and her magic replenishing itself. Soon, she was able to shakily get to her feet - but when she turned around, her jaw dropped as her knees nearly gave way again.

"I am Xeiuos, master of this temple. Be not afraid."

To be honest, she wasn't sure _what_ she had been expecting when she had heard about the light god Xeiuos, but it certainly hadn't been this. Three huge golden rings, each roughly ten meters in diameter, overlapped to form a spherical structure housing a blindingly bright core - and unlike the golems before, this core was made of pure light rather than just glowing crystal. Six bizarre wings undulated rhythmically around the sphere - rather than feathers, or even crystals, they were made of parallel threads of golden light, giving them a profoundly alien appearance. Studding the three gold rings were countless small opalescent gems which gave Kagami the eerie impression of milky white eyes. She wasn't sure what to make of him - he somehow looked angelic and monstrous at the same time, like the final guardian but even more alien.

"Xei...uos…" Kagami breathed. "It's an honor…"

The light god had no face, but their core flickered as to acknowledge her words. "The pleasure is mine - anyone who can clear my trial is worthy of my respect. Little girl...what is your name?"

Kagami was now energetic enough to take offense at being mistaken for a child, but she held her tongue. "My name is Kagami."

Another flash from the core. "Kagami. Well, first of all, I must congratulate you for clearing this trial. As you can see, I don't hold back when testing potential candidates - other gods scorn me for it, but I remain steadfast. For causing you so much pain, you can hate me if you wish-"

Kagami interrupted him. "Wait. So...I actually managed to beat the trial? Someone like me?"

"Correct. You were indeed far weaker than the others who attempted to take the test. While my trial mostly attracted weaker warriors who wished to find new power, they were still hardened and prepared - but not prepared enough. I have been watching your progress from the moment you sent your first magic construct into the temple...your method is exactly what I had been looking for in a challenger. The ingenuity to take advantage of the fixed patterns of the temple, using your magic to give yourself unlimited attempts and learn from every failure with no risk of death. I designed this in a way where anyone who used enough trial and error would be able to discern and learn the patterns and weaknesses of the defenses - because everything I made here _had_ weaknesses. What I did not expect was for someone to devise such a magnificently detailed plan that even a girl as powerless as you could clear the trial. I had anticipated something to take advantage of the traps eventually, but collecting every single one along your path and using them against the final guardian? That was nothing short of incredible. Even if you had tried many times before using your magic drones, clearing the temple on your first actual try was no easy feat. The amount of notes you had taken were exceptional."

The victorious challenger stared up at him in disbelief. "T-Thank you. But...surely this wasn't special? Someone else would have eventually thought of this!"

"You're right." Xeiuos agreed. "Eventually, someone would have definitely thought of this method. Perhaps they would have even cleared the trial. But do you know what made you different?"

Kagami shook her head.

Xeiuos' wings curled. "Out of the people who visited the temple gates, the strongest of them were brave and confident in their abilities - so confident, in fact, that they believed that their abilities alone would be enough, and that they wouldn't need to use any higher level thinking. But the ones who lacked power, they could have been smart enough to do what you did...yet out of fear, they stayed their hand from the temple, believing that they weren't strong enough to even stand a chance, no matter how much effort they put into it. But you…you were weak, yet you had the bravery to believe you could defeat this trial. And knowing you were weak, you were willing to put in such an exorbitant amount of effort in order to achieve victory - far more effort than anyone with more power would have put in."

The girl shook her head. "Is that...really so special?"

"You had the confidence of the strong and the cautiousness of the weak. The nervous humility of a fledgeling warrior, yet the raw determination of one who had everything to gain. You took the best of the two groups of people I mentioned, combining their strengths to overcome your weaknesses. And I, for one, believe that is special."

Silence. Then, Xeiuos leaned a little closer, the light of his core dimming. "Kagami. What was your motivation? What drove you onwards through all that toiling away, searching for the perfect solution? What gave you the infinite determination to push onwards through insurmountable odds?"

Kagami answered almost instantly. "I made a promise to someone dear to me, to rise through the world against all odds and become strong. For their sake, I had to-"

"No, no." Xeiuos interrupted, his 'gaze' seeming to bore right through Kagami. "What you've done is not on anyone's behalf. I can tell that much. What motivated you...was your confidence in your own ingenuity and resolve. You knew how much work you had put into this project. You knew how adept you were at magical manipulation. You knew how extensive the plans you made were. Girl, if anything was driving you on, it was your heart telling you that you _could_ do this, and urging you to see this through to the very end. Your confidence stemmed entirely from things you gave yourself, not things another person gave you."

As she thought about it, Kagami came to a sudden realization.

_He was right._

Kagami had been so used to falling back on Kagura's memory and promise whenever she needed something to motivate her - it had once been her only motivation. Yet after graduating from her academy, and taking on this project...she didn't even realize it, but she had been so focused on her own work that she hadn't even relied on Kagura's memory for a lot of it. And when she was taking the trial, she had barely even thought about her except to cast her final explosive spell. Everything Kagami had believed in, everything she had used to win...had been hers, and hers alone.

_Is this...what it's like to live for myself?_

Kagami had never felt such confidence in herself before, and it was so alien to her that she didn't even know how to process it. "I...really?"

Xeiuos' rings shifted up and down in a gesture similar to nodding. "Yes, really. I will leave you to think about that by yourself, but as the patron of the trial, I must give you your reward."

His wings spreading out, tendrils of light spun out from the light god's core and converged on the central pedestal - or at least what was left of it after the fighting. All of the threads coalesced in the very middle, forming a dense mass - and in a flash, all that remained was a thin sword stuck halfway into the stone.

"That is your prize, Kagami. As promised, this blade is a weapon that contains a significant portion of my strength. With this blade, that fragment of my power will always be yours to wield - and as the rightful owner of the sword, it will always _only_ be yours to wield."

As Kagami almost hesitantly approached the sword, Xeiuos let out a repeated rumbling that sounded almost like laughter. "So uncertain, so humble - this is yours, go grab it! But...I suppose that's also a good thing. I read the thoughts of all who enter this temple, and most who entered had impure intentions for my power. So many wanted to dominate and slay, some wanted to sate their egos and lord over others, while others were simply greedy and wanted to own something others did not. I was quite relieved by the fact that you were the one who eventually succeeded, for your intentions were relatively benign. Do you know what I read from you?"

"You really like rhetorical questions." Kagami replied with the slightest of smiles - the first time she had remembered smiling since entering the temple. "But honestly, I don't know. I never consciously thought about a single reason I wanted your power."

"You wanted to survive in this world. It was that simple."

A nod from Kagami. "Sounds about right. Hey, if you judge people based on their hearts, would you have rejected a wicked person who had completed the trial?"

"Of course not. I promised power to those who cleared it, them being virtuous is a bonus. I would frown upon the wicked, but anyone who cleared my trial would have gotten the sword. It's simple."

"...Damn." _Gods really were as fickle as the books said._

As Kagami prepared to grab the sword, Xeiuos raised a wing. "But if you simply wanted to survive, could you not have done this another way? Humans have many ways to rise through the world...and they are fond of working together to achieve greatness."

"I'm cursed." Kagami said simply. "I had a dark god's curse forced on me as a child. Now my body is frail, and all of humanity scorns me. So, I can't rely on them. Not when they'll hurt me and throw me away at every corner."

Xeiuos scanned her body for magic, only to flinch in mild surprise when he detected her curse. "Ah...Keotyr."

"Ke-what now?"

"The name of a dark god I encountered many times before." Xeiuos said, although the distaste in his voice made it clear that they were on bad terms. "Light and dark beings, for the most part, are natural enemies who have fought each other for centuries - and Keotyr in particular had been a pain in my side for ages, given how he keeps picking fights with me and my followers. The residual dark magic coursing through your being bears the stench of his signature brand of magic. I had heard that he had cursed the Lucian queen when they had tried to wipe out a tribe of his worshippers, but I never imagined that they'd shift it onto a random person. Well, Keotyr's dark magic has always been a pain to deal with, so I suppose I shouldn't have expected the Lucian mages to deal with it so easily."

Kagami took her hand away from the sword and stared at him in surprise. "You knew the Lucians? So the dark god that they killed was this Keotyr?"

"Yes. Well, except for the fact that I was the one who killed him."

"You _what?"_

"Did they not include that in the history books? That's so typical of them." Xeiuos half chuckled, half spat. "The force they had sent there was small - do you think they could have weathered a full-fledged dark god's wrath by themselves? However, I had given a Lucian hero of old an artifact when they had cleared my trial a hundred years ago or so, which would let them summon me. So, when they were in trouble, they summoned me to their aid - and I already had a vendetta against Keotyr, so I was more than willing to teach him a lesson. Turns out, he wasn't feeling particularly great that day, so instead of a stalemate as our battles had usually turned out, I finally managed to overwhelm him, and kill him for good."

"I-Incredible."

A sigh-like hiss from the light god. "I suppose that comes back to bite me now. With Keotyr gone, and the rest of his followers likely exterminated by the wrathful Lucians, I doubt anyone on this green earth can cure your curse."

Kagami nodded. "It's fine. I wasn't expecting to be cured anyways. It's a part of me now, and I've just got to live with it."

"...Remarkable resolve, my child." Xeiuos muttered. "But enough dawdling. Go on, claim your prize."

Kagami didn't need to be told a second time. Reaching towards the hilt of the sword, she grabbed it and pulled - only for it to refuse to budge. Frowning, she braced her legs against the ground and pulled with her full strength. Still no movement.

"What are you waiting for?" Xeiuos asked. "Pull it out."

 _He's definitely screwing with me. So much for light god…_ Kagami internally groaned. However, she wasn't going to let a simple trick stop her. Grabbing the hilt of the sword, Kagami welcomed its magic into her form - something she had done innumerable times, but with far less powerful sources.

Instantly, her body was overwhelmed with...something. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but it didn't hurt either - unlike when taking in the final guardian's magic, which had felt like being filled with lava, it felt like warm water was coursing through every cubic centimeter of her body, filling her up with a buzzing warmth. In that moment, she felt the power held within the weapon - and it was hers to manipulate.

With a thought, she sent a surge of power down the blade. The energy seeped into the stone encasing it and disintegrated it, letting Kagami pull it out.

Xeiuos laughed. "There's that fast thinking that so impressed me."

Kagami stumbled a bit as she fumbled with the blade, but managed to right herself and grip the sword with two hands. Staring at it, Kagami's breath was taken away by the weapon - it resembled a katana somewhere between half and two-thirds as long as she was tall, simple in design but awe-inspiring in its makeup. Its hilt was wrapped in soft yet graspable white cloth, and its guard was a circular piece of gold inset with an intricate spiralling pattern resembling a flower. But its blade was the most notable part - honed to a razor's edge, it was made of a bright golden metal that Kagami had never seen before. It was so lustrous that staring into it was less like looking at her reflection, and more like she was staring into a portal to another world.

Hesitantly, she tried swinging it. Then, she tried charging her body with magic, surprising herself when she realized how readily her body seemed to fill with energy. As she experimentally swung the glowing blade around, making faint buzzing noises as it cut through the air, Xeiuos motioned with his wing, causing a simple bronze-and-gold sheath to materialize beside her. "Take this weapon - it's all yours now. This fragment of my power responds to your will alone...I trust that you will make good use of it."

Kagami was still incredulous at the fact that she was actually holding the legendary weapon of the Temple of Radiance in her hands. She wanted to bow to Xeiuos, but was interrupted by a heavy clunking sound as the heavy stone doors to the chamber slid open.

"Eh?" she asked Xeiuos. "What is this?"

The light god turned towards them. "Looks like some people reached this chamber right after you did. Lucky girl."

Charging into the chamber, a squad of about two dozen adventurers stormed in. They were all heavily armed, clad in metal armor and wielding various weapons that glowed with the tell-tale charge of magical energy. The second they saw the colossal alien angel floating in midair, they all knelt as one. "Xeiuos! It is an honor!"

"Challengers, welcome." Xeiuos responded. "What timing. I would give you your trial, but there's no need anymore. My challenge has already been cleared."

As Xeiuos motioned to her with a wing, Kagami felt the temperature practically drop as all of the adventurers turned towards her and simultaneously aligned their ill will in the same direction. One of the more grizzled warriors slammed his sword into the ground in disbelief. "What? You're saying that this...pathetic little girl cleared the trial before us? What a load of crap! Nobody has ever gotten past the last guardian before...how would someone as weak as her do it?"

If Xeiuos had eyes, he would have narrowed them. "I watch every challenger that enters. And I personally saw the fruits of her endless labor. She has earned my blessing, and the right to my weapon."

"I-Impossible!" another mage screamed. "We planned for weeks - gathering any strong warriors and scholars who were willing, and using information gathered from those who failed before us! We defeated every foe, solved every puzzle - using our strength, our intellect, and our resolve! And now you're telling us that this stupid kid not only got here first, but _beat_ the trial? S-She must have cheated, somehow! It's simply not possible! It's not fair!"

"Well, this 'stupid kid' planned for over a year, practicing every day." Xeiuos rumbled. "She tried, tried, and tried again, because she knew she was weak yet didn't let it stop her. And now that I've seen her with my own eyes, I recognize the effort she has put in, and her victory. Accusing her of foul play is a grave insult to both her and myself."

"I...refuse to accept this." another fighter growled. "Someone like her doesn't deserve to have such power! That power belongs in the hands of those destined for greatness - us! I won't let some nobody steal our glory!"

The first warrior raised his sword. "She's just a frail little girl. She's no match for us. Warriors, mages, all those who have gone through hell for a chance at greatness...kill her. Kill her now!"

Xeiuos floated in front of a tensed-up Kagami as the air became charged with pressure. "I said this already - she has my blessing. If you attack her, and thus violently go against my decision, I will not hesitate to punish your arrogance."

A few of the more sane fighters knew when to fold it and backed out of the room, but most of them stood firm. Raising her staff, one of the mages unleashed a bolt of lightning at Kagami. "Die, you brat!"

Xeiuos' body casually absorbed the bolt, the crackling energy dissipating into thin air. As the pressure in the room became even more unbearable, Xeiuos spread his wings wide, the core in his body erupting into dazzling light. As the rings around his core started shuddering and spinning, Xeiuos gave Kagami his direction. "My child, turn around and close your eyes."

Kagami was adamant. "I can handle violence. I'm not a kid."

"You can't handle being blinded by my level of light magic."

Gulping, Kagami turned around and closed her eyes.

Then, turning towards his offenders, he used his magic to slam the door behind them, leaving them trapped. As they realized what they had gotten themselves into, Xeiuos issued his second order.

_"Defend yourselves."_

Xeiuos had hoped to entertain them for a little longer, but after a minute of letting them attack him and deal minimal damage, he was getting tired of looking. He wasn't all-powerful, and even mortal fighters with sufficient power and skill could definitely seriously harm him, but clearly these ones weren't classified as part of that group.

After thirty seconds, they had simply decided to stop attacking him and go for the relatively defenseless Kagami instead, but as long as he was standing between them, they could do her no harm. He wasn't sure if this murderous rage was because of Kagami's curse, the darkness naturally within their hearts, or both - but whatever it was, he was sick of it.

He brought his wings in front of himself and charged up a ball of translucent blue light, before hurling it at the nearest soldiers. The group of archers, who had been trying to shoot Kagami with enchanted arrows, was instantly reduced to impartial ash.

Noticing his wings being frayed by the fireballs of their mage squad, Xeiuos spread out his wings and released rays of light in every direction. The lasers bounced off of the walls harmlessly, but the second they struck any of his enemies, they would erupt into violent energy that burned and disintegrated flesh and metal alike. Firing this again and again, Xeiuos turned the chamber into a web of brilliant lasers, cutting their forces by more than half in an instant.

An agile knife fighter managed to weave between the beams and get up close to him. Screaming, they slashed his rings with their knife, but while the blade had cut a small gash into the metal, it seemed to do more damage to itself than to him. Raising a wing, Xeiuos swiftly impaled the fighter on one wingtip, before channeling enough magic into him to reduce his body to ash.

"M-Monster!" one of the remaining fighters screamed. "Please have mercy!"

"Are you willing to give her mercy if I free you?"

"Yes! We'll leave her! Just let us go!"

"Alright. Be nice, you lot." Xeiuos said simply as he disappeared into thin air, the sealed door opening behind them.

Stunned at the light god's sudden mercy, the survivors shakily collected themselves and prepared to leave - only to steal another look at Kagami. Without receiving the order from Xeiuos yet, Kagami was still huddled in a corner, her eyes shut tight. Jealousy started spreading through the party as her curse beckoned them again, prompting them to slowly approach her with weapons raised. She was frail and defenseless, and Xeiuos was no longer there. Even if it cost them their lives, they could at least get revenge on the one who had cheated them out of their prize.

However, the second the first arrow was shot, an angry voice boomed through the caves. "You…"

As a flash of light obliterated the arrow, Xeiuos appeared before them again in a swirl of light - the blazing light in his core now a veritable inferno from his fury. "You craven scoundrels dare to take advantage of my mercy just to kill her? Even after I told you many times that I have personally approved of their victory, and after I offered you mercy in exchange for her safety...you disgust me. All you had to do was walk out the door. You've made a grave mistake. Now face judgement!"

Xeiuos spread his wings, launching several orbs of glowing gold light that scattered throughout the chamber. With a flash from his core, all of them flashed in unison - charging up power before exploding into spherical shockwaves of crackling blue light. In a brilliant flash, the entire room was illuminated with terrible light, and once the brightness subsided, there was nothing left of the delvers. They had barely even gotten a chance to scream before the light waves had atomized them.

As the room hissed from the residual heat of Xeiuos' attack, he furled up his wings again. "Kagami, you can open your eyes again."

Kagami did as she was told, gawking at the aftermath - or, more accurately, the _lack_ of any sort of aftermath. "You...really just killed them all."

"Does it sadden you? You sound...indifferent."

"...I don't know." Kagami muttered. Her heart was so detached from her fellow humans that even though it tightened at the loss of life, she didn't feel anything beyond that. "Is it bad that I don't really feel... _that_ sad?"

"They slandered your efforts, were hell-bent on killing you, and took advantage of my mercy just to get at you." Xeiuos replied quietly. "It's okay to hold a grudge against people like that, but...you must never lose sight of the emotions that keep you human. You are human, after all - death should evoke emotion in your heart."

"I'm not scared of death or violence. I said, I'm not a kid."

Xeiuos' rings shook slightly. "I knew many adults who were terrified of death and killing. Is it childish to mourn for the dead, and lament the loss of life?"

Kagami was quiet. "...I guess you have a point."

"I'm just offering some words of wisdom. Power and ingenuity are precious, but even if you might not realize it...your humanity really is just as valuable."

The girl could only nod silently. _He's right. If anything, when Kagura eventually comes back...I want to make sure I'm the kind of person that she'd still adore and be friends with._

Several hours later, Kagami stood in front of her cabin beneath a moonlit sky, the legendary weapon of a radiant god clutched in her hands. At her request, Xeiuos had used his magic to fly her back to her home, before leaving almost as fast. Kagami felt special for clearing the trial, but to an immortal god like Xeiuos, she was probably just one mortal among many - maybe a notable one considering how impressed he seemed, but nothing to spend too much time over. He had probably gone off to do who-knows-what...maybe he was dismantling his temple, or even preparing another trial in another land.

But her impossible victory had suddenly opened up all the doors for Kagami. Now that she had such a powerful weapon, her lack of magical efficiency had been all but erased. The only thing left for her to do was practice, practice, and practice until her new powers were fully under control. Now, for the first time, Kagami felt truly powerful - like she could do anything. And topping the list of 'anything' was becoming a powerful mercenary-adventurer to fulfil Kagura's last request...no, to fulfil her own dreams.

She stared into the night sky, its countless stars twinkling as if to beckon her onwards into the future. She had always dreamt of reaching out and plucking one from the sky, but now she felt like she could actually do it. But at the same time, the darkness of the sky filled her with concern for what the future held. Now that she wasn't powerless, she felt like she had lost a huge aspect of what had made her, well, _her._ And without it, she didn't know if she'd change for the better or the worse. Would she become a savior or a destroyer? A hero or a villain? Or maybe something completely different? Whatever she became, what would Kagura think of her when she returned?

But as she clipped the sword to her belt and headed into the cabin, she decided to let those problems rest in the future where they belonged. For now, she would enjoy the smaller things. An actual shower, a home-cooked meal, and a sleep atop an actual bed instead of a stone floor. And most of all, she could enjoy the underlying truths that she had earned today - not just because of her new weapon, but because of the culmination of everything she had spent the last years doing.

_I'm not powerless._

_I can confide in my own abilities._

_I have hope for my future._

_My dreams are within reach._

And staring into the cosmos, where she knew her dear friend was, Kagami smiled and waved.

_Kagura...I hope you're doing well. Because for once...I sure am._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~League of Legends has given me so much PTSD that whenever I use the name Darius I start hemorrhaging irl~~
> 
> I wish I was half as academically diligent as I made Kagami out to be, heh. Figuring out a way for the relatively powerless Kagami to beat a death temple without making it feel _too_ cheap gave me brain damage, but this was the closest thing I could come up with.
> 
> The whole idea of the temple being beaten by memorization and ingenuity was based around design philosophies I'm fond of in video games, mostly regarding understanding of game knowledge like attack patterns/enemy behavior being an integral part of gameplay, as well as trial-and-error type gameplay that still feels fun. If you think of it, Xeiuos is basically like a game dev, if video games horribly killed people.


	10. Fading Stars along a Lonely Road, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Mortals preached about the light of the stars, but the cosmos were nowhere as bright as the stories. ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, halfway there in terms of chapters (in terms of content, idk). This story is already longer than anything else I've made, which is...somehow encouraging to me?
> 
> What was supposed to be a really short semi-worldbuilding chapter ended up dragging on a lot more than I thought. Trying and failing to think of things that a cosmic god could do (that weren't their obligations) made me realize "Wow, being a deity in space somehow sounds incredibly boring". 
> 
> I kind of ran out of ideas near the end so if it seems kinda scuffed you know why

_ Six years after the ascension. Kagura: age 24 in Earth years. _

"Their numbers are thinning! Now, strike decisively one last time and end this!"

Pointing her blade towards the last of the Void Entities, Kagura rallied her squad and spearheaded the final charge to eradicate the threats to reality. Under her direction, they had already exterminated a group of void beasts roughly twice as numerous as they were, and they were now prepared to finish the job.

Three and Seven bundled up their unstable bodies and released blasts of overwhelming radiation, scorching away at the writhing forms of the void beasts. As they fire back with rays of space-rending darkness, Ten tucked its 'wings' into its void-like body, releasing an unseen pulse of... _ something _ that almost splattered the offending Void Entities outright. But Void Entities often regenerated quickly, so they weren't out yet - however, that problem was solved by One sweeping in, shaping their amorphous body into stardust spines that speared the entities. The spines quickly grew root-like protrusions that worked in tandem to tear the enemies to pieces.

On the other side of the battlefield, Two's metallic claws ripped through a smaller dark beast instantly, while Four staggered the larger ones with repeated supernova-like punches coupled with nuclear gouts of flame. Eleven aligned its five heads towards its distracted foes, releasing a combined blast of elemental wrath that tore away at their forms. 

Two suns' lengths away, the tag team of Twelve, Thirteen, and Fourteen worked together to eliminate a particularly large Void Entity, an undulating mass of insectoid limbs and pincers. A shimmering blaster-like weapon in his hands, Twelve blasted away the limbs protecting its main body, while Fourteen raised a glimmering staff and perforated it with a barrage of arcane comets. Once its limbs had been sheared off, Thirteen dived between the writhing pincers and struck it with a series of bare-fisted blows which created star-crushing explosions on impact, finishing the job with a massive punch that tore a hole right through the center of the monster.

The biggest of the enemies, a sun-dwarfing specter made of crackling dark gas, was being handled by the remaining Celestials. Six wrapped its massive tentacles around as much of its body as they could, sending unfathomable shocks through its body to destabilize it and weaken it for their cohorts. Meanwhile, Nine wrapped its colossal snakelike body around the part of the entity that wasn't being directly electrocuted, crushing it in their coiled grip while releasing gouts of plasma from their maw. Roaring triumphantly, Eight leapt in with their massive blade raised, carving up the restrained Void Entity like a Halloween pumpkin.

The last of them, a vaguely humanoid being in warped armor, tried to escape - but was met with the leader of the Celestial team, Kagura herself. Growling, the Void Entity morphed its arm into a curved blade and lunged at her - but in a flash, Kagura was already behind it. Raising her blade, its cosmic edge shimmered with celestial brilliance as she cleaved its limbs off with a series of repeated strikes, before impaling it through the chest. Channeling energy through her blade, she overloaded the Void Entity's body and caused it to explode into a cloud of crackling dust.

As Kagura breathed a sigh of relief, she noticed the rest of her team returning to her, having exterminated every last one. "Amazing work, everyone. Another overwhelming victory, with no serious injuries in sight."

"Impeccable commanding as usual." Two replied. "All significant threats were systematically eliminated first by our divided squads as per your plan, and the lesser beasts stood no chance. Well done."

Despite being the squad leader, Kagura stood out like a sore thumb, but in the opposite way that one would expect. Out of the Celestials in her team with discernable ages, Kagura still looked by far the youngest and most unassuming - and standing at roughly 700,000 kilometers tall, she was also the smallest by quite a margin. In spite of this, her authority was unquestioned among the 13 other Celestials in the team, and for good reason. Both a powerful fighter and an accomplished commander, Kagura had led the team to victory countless times - but the thing that surprised them the most was that for all her seriousness, she valued their safety just as much as their success. She didn't believe in sacrificing people, nor would she allow them to get injured by the hordes of the abyss. Many times, missions had taken longer than usual because Kagura would retreat cohorts that were suffering in battle, or try to find the safest way to take out the enemies. While this made her slightly less efficient than other Celestial commanders, it had made all the Celestials - or at least the ones that cared - fiercely loyal to her. But even the ones who didn't so much care for her consideration valued her ideals of playing carefully - despite their small size, the squad was able to handle forces that initially outmatched them, and hadn't suffered a single casualty yet. Together, her incredible skill, unyielding power, and charismatic leadership had earned her the respect, loyalty, and borderline admiration of everyone under her command - and, to an extent, even her superiors.

"Well, our job in this solar system is done." Kagura stated matter-of-factly, putting away her weapon. "You are all dismissed. Again, good job."

As the Celestials started dispersing, Kagura frowned to herself. Despite having kept her team safe and protected the universe over the countless victories she had scored over the years, Kagura somehow never felt satisfied. It was like there was a sort of emptiness within her that could only be filled by a piece of her that she had forgotten the nature of. No matter how many stars and planets she saved, how much life she nurtured, and how many abyssal monsters she killed, this emptiness never faded.

"You look troubled." Fourteen said, noticing her expression. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah, you're so composed in battle, but you just always look so...sad afterwards." Eight added. "What's up? You're an accomplished commander, and a peerless fighter - what else could you want? Oh...could it be you don't think your enemies are strong enough, and that you hunger for worthy foes?"

Nine snorted as if to laugh at their cohort's hypothesis.

"Eight, don't be like that." Thirteen chided. "She used to be a human. From what I've observed about her homeworld, humans have very complicated values. Maybe she hasn't grown out of a few yet - she _ is  _ rather young, even for human standards."

Fourteen nodded. "Miss Kagura, you've changed quite a bit over our time together. But I suppose that there are some things that you innately are unable - or unwilling - to change."

Kagura thought about that. Had she really changed that much? Physically, she looked roughly the same, if not a little taller and more serious - given that physical armor was borderline useless against the void, she was still dressed in the regal attire she was used to always wearing. According to the King and Queen, Celestials didn't age, but their appearance could be more or less controlled at will - meaning that Kagura probably subconsciously wanted to age at the same rate as a human, as well as subconsciously wanting to look the same as she had looked before. If anything, her skin now occasionally rippled with cosmic light, and her hair had a faint ethereal glow to it...was this also subconscious?

Biologically, she no longer needed to eat, sleep, drink, or anything that would normally be essential for a mortal. Mentally...perhaps she had gotten more stoic, more serious, more befitting of a hardened cosmic commander leading a crusade against reality eating monstrosities and a silent overseer watching over the mortals of the infinite universe. Yet she still felt very human - and she felt many residual feelings from her past life.

Fifteen stroked her chin. "I've seen an expression like the one you wear now a few times. It's loneliness, isn't it? Humans like the ones on your home planet are very social creatures, and...well, the life of a Celestial isn't the friendliest. Just the warriors in this squad aren't exactly the friendly type...including myself, I'll admit."

"Is that so?" Kagura asked. "Well...I guess that does match up with what I feel. I still remember a warmth from my human life that I vaguely miss."

Eight shrugged. "I barely remember what I was like as a mortal. I'm basically free of those mortal desires...well, I guess I still love to fight strong opponents. I suppose you haven't fully let go of the mortal in you yet."

"Do I want to?" Kagura asked. "I enjoy these feelings of humanity."

"If you're still part mortal, you're only part Celestial. And some of these duties would best be serviced by a fully developed Celestial."

Silence from Kagura.

Fifteen cleared her throat. "We'll leave that up to you. You're already doing an admirable job as our commander, after all. But for you to feel such longing all the time...I recall you said your past life was a turbulent one? Then what could cause such longing? Were there people who cared about you despite everything?"

"...Yes." Kagura breathed as a warm old memory resurfaced. "There was one human whom I had a powerful bond with. She was so kind to me when everyone else could not be, and was willing to do everything for my happiness. In turn, I tried to be as kind to her as possible, and tried my best to help her in the cruel world she lived in. But...yes, I cared about her more than anyone else in the world."

Then, to the others' surprise, she smiled. "And...I still care about her more than anyone. Even now, after drifting away from her through time and space. Even now."

Kagura sounded so nostalgic that the other Celestials seemed almost floored. Eight cleared his throat awkwardly. "I hate to break it to you, but you've got basically no ties with any mortals from your past life anymore. You've become something so much greater...honestly, I'm surprised you're even caring so much about a mortal now. Whoever that mortal was before, they're insignificant to you now."

"Eight put it in a very ham-fisted manner, but he's right." Fourteen admitted. "As a Celestial, it's not only ill-advised to maintain a bond with someone from your past, but also borderline impossible considering how much time erodes away at the mind. For them to enshrine themselves so deeply in your memories is remarkable, but you have a higher purpose, one that has little place for mortals - even in your memory."

Fifteen and Thirteen looked like they wanted to add something, but held their tongues. Nine growled in disapproval but made no other moves.

"...I mean what I said." Kagura said, surprisingly firmly. "And I have no plans to take it back. I don't believe that me being a cosmic entity makes her irrelevant. I don't care if she's small, weak, or insignificant to us Celestials. Kindness transcends all of those barriers, and she had plenty of it. Even if I don't remember exactly what she did...her memory brings me comfort. Thus, I will keep it...even if I continue to long for it."

The Celestials were all giving her odd looks, ranging from looks of disdain to looks of pity. Shrugging, Thirteen just stretched his arms and prepared to head off. "Well, whatever you say. After all, you are still our esteemed leader."

"Mhm." Eight added, although his look of mild confusion still showed. "Your values aren't ours to change. As long as you keep leading us to victory, I'll listen to what you say."

None of the others wanted to say anything, and Kagura had made the conversation very awkward. So, they all dispersed, warping through space - leaving Kagura floating alone in the dark void of space.

She sighed. She really did miss company. The longing had really seized her there, considering she rarely confided in her personal thoughts to her squadmates. She didn't even remember everything about her past life...yet her heart seemed to know far more than her mind did. Even as she tried to remember the details about the one she had cherished before, everything was foggy…

_ Gold hair...blue eyes...fair skin...small body...a radiant smile...a shining heart... _

She stopped. For a terrifying second, she was unable to remember the name of the person she had treasured so much. An instant later, it came back to her - but it had given her a scare nonetheless.

_ Her name is Kagami. _

_ I must never forget about her. Didn't I...promise her that at some point? _

And if there was something that didn't change in the transition from mortal to cosmic deity, it was the value held in a promise.

_ Some time later… _

Atoms seemingly burst into existence before her eyes, channeled into this reality from a faraway space or another plane altogether. Quantum particles transformed into elements and coalesced in an orb of melting light, the very fabric of existence hers to wield. As lights danced around her fingertips and stardust swirled around her form, Kagura wove the elements of the cosmos - and in a flash, the core of a newborn star appeared before her.

She stepped back quickly as nuclear fusion started immediately, causing the brilliant fiery sphere to rapidly balloon in diameter until it was a few times her height. Checking its position relative to the other ones she had made, she instinctively wiped her brow and sighed with content.

Despite her initial impressions that Celestials were constantly busy, they were given a surprising amount of free time in the downtime between their duties. However, there wasn't exactly a lot to do in an endless dark void. She couldn't interact with planetary civilizations as per her obligations - and the risk of destroying them - and any Celestials she met were almost all unwilling to do anything recreational. So, besides watching the life of the universe and admiring the beauty of the parts of space that  _ weren't  _ an endless dark void, Kagura's new favorite thing to do was to  _ fill  _ the void. Even for a Celestial of her scale, stars were still massive and fairly complex, so she wasn't able to make any supermassive stars yet - but the ones she created were still enough for her to paint patterns and constellations in the sky, in hopes that the life of the universe would be able to draw beauty from them as well.

On the topic of other Celestials...Kagami had learned a lot about Celestials during the years of her operation. For starters, they weren't an organization - in fact, most beings that could qualify as Celestials just roamed the universe, doing whatever they saw fit. They also varied very wildly - from recognizable creatures, to incomprehensible horrors that Kagura's mind was unable to process fully. The humanoid body type seemed oddly common for some reason, but many of the humanoid Celestials were still so monstrous that they could not be recognized as human at all, so wrong that Kagura's brain outright refused to fully identify them. 

They also varied widely in size - seeing some of the other Celestials not affiliated with her had confirmed that yes, she  _ was _ tiny for a Celestial. In fact, at one point, she had witnessed the King and Queen in their true forms after using them to exterminate an entire horde of void creatures - and she wouldn't have been lying if she had said that it felt like they dwarfed her as much as she dwarfed regular mortals, considering that they probably could have cradled her solar system in their hands. They later told her that those forms were not suited for direct combat most of the time, and were only used to silently monitor star systems or when they needed to overwhelm a particularly powerful Void Entity. She figured the sheer amount of collateral damage a multi-billion kilometer cosmic god could do probably had something to do with it.

She should have expected as much from those who oversaw the galaxy, but what had stunned her was when the King had told her that it went  _ even beyond that. _ Apparently there were beings out there that could eclipse the galactic overseers in both power and stature, but Kagura had heard enough at that point. A popular myth spread among the Celestials involved a star serpent that could be mistaken for the cosmos itself, given that it ripped through reality by existing and was gargantuan enough to swallow the galaxy whole. When the Queen had offhandedly mentioned this serpent and the idea of other beings of similar or even greater power, Kagura had politely asked them to spare her brain from imploding. Worse still, they had never specified if they should be using past or present tense when talking about it, so Kagura sincerely hoped it was the former.

Furthermore, she had heard of an interesting phenomenon that occurred reasonably frequently. Powerful enough Celestials often split off small fragments of their power to create living beings that would go about doing some preordained task given to them by their maker. The fragments would inevitably be far weaker than the deity they were derived from, but they were still extraordinary compared to common life in the cosmos. According to the King, he had seen Celestials create the brightest of angels, the darkest of demons, and everything in between. He said these were called "Star Fragments" - they didn't actually have a name, but one of his late cohorts had suggested the name at some point, and it had just stuck with many of the Celestials. Kagura wondered if she'd ever become powerful enough to make a Star Fragment of her own...given that she likely couldn't make a combat helper without compromising her own form, she'd probably just make a small pet, or something.

Remembering she actually had a small job to do, Kagura channeled her powers and bent the laws of reality to shoot light-years away in an instant. Arriving at a planetary system, she took a moment to admire the mortal architecture. The civilizations in this region of the galaxy had mastered astronomical science, and learned to control the stars and other cosmic phenomena. This solar system had built a structure around their sun, taking advantage of its endless energy for their own benefit - but Kagura had seen even more outlandish things, like civilizations built around structures designed to tame cosmic singularities.

Making sure she was invisible to the worlds of the solar system, Kagura started observing the happenings of the planets, using her superbly enhanced senses to both clearly make out everything that was occurring and process everything simultaneously. Once she was done checking up a planet, she would move to the next one and repeat. It was her job to make sure they were prospering, following the natural cycle of things, and most importantly, not causing excessive harm to themselves or other worlds.

After she checked all the planets and confirmed that nothing out of the ordinary was happening, she stopped a little bit to admire the civilizations that orbited that sun. The worlds here were far more advanced than the planet she had come from - as expected of worlds that had long since mastered spacefaring. Watching all of the peculiar life-forms going about their days, inhabiting relatively peaceful planets ranging from fully mechanical to lushly growing, Kagura couldn't help but feel happy for them. Despite everything the others tried to tell her, mortals still could be exceptional.

Turning around, she mentally noted down the status of the solar system for her report later on, only to frown at a peculiar sight. One of the stars in the distance seemed to be getting somehow...brighter?

Warping over to it, her curiosity turned to alarm once the massive star started rapidly contracting, collapsing in on itself. She knew what was going to happen next.

Raising her hands, Kagura prepared to channel every last bit of the immense power within herself. Just as the star reached critical mass, she formed a translucent silver barrier around the collapsing star and reinforced it as much as possible, before bracing herself for what was to come.

Even among the cosmic phenomena Kagura had seen, nothing quite matched the awe-inspiring destructive power of a supernova. For all her borderline deific power, the exertion from containing one of the universe's cruelest forces was not an easy task for a Celestial of her caliber. In fact, she was only able to hold it back for a few seconds before the explosion burst through her barrier and sent her careening into space.

Surprisingly, despite stunning her for a good minute, the supernova hadn't burned Kagura  _ too  _ badly. Using her Celestial vision to look back at the star systems from before as she healed, she breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that they were still fine. She had clearly still weakened the blast enough that it hadn't reached the life within its original radius, saving them from a sudden annihilation.

She looked around at all the metallic dust surrounding her, then at the brightly glowing neutron star that was the last remnant of the destroyed giant. Someday, all of this elemental dust would maybe go on to form new stars, new planets...maybe even new life. From the death of a star, new things would be born.

_ The cycle of life and death continues. Such is the way of the universe. _

But for now, she was glad she had saved the worlds of this sector, and fulfilled her role as a Celestial. She knew they'd detect the remnant of the supernova, but she wondered if they'd ever find out she was the one who had saved them. The idea of being heralded as the savior of a whole solar system was...almost embarrassing to the mortal side of her.

It was a funny thought, but Kagura was done with this sector. After taking a minute to admire the glimmering debris around her, Kagura eventually shot off into the distance, in search of new tasks.

_ Later again… _

"...You want me to...destroy it?"

The deformed figure nodded, face blank and devoid of emotion.

Kagura had wanted to check on the nearest solar systems and then go back to designing constellations, but she had bumped into another Celestial on the way there. And what a Celestial they were - they fell solidly into the "humanoid, but anything but human" category Kagura was thinking about before. Standing at roughly double her height, the being was uncannily lanky, its thin body made of what looked less like black muscle and more like extremely coiled masses of shadowy tentacles. A coat of translucent spine-tendrils draped off from their back, definitely solid but seemingly  _ dripping _ . Some of those tendrils formed an almost slimy shell around its body, further giving them a phantom-like look. Their head was a soft mass of gray matter, their face completely blank and featureless save for a mouth - she used the term loosely, since said mouth was more akin to a mouth-shaped hole forcefully ripped open in its wasted flesh.

Despite its horrific appearance, Kagura knew better than to judge. Celestials came in all shapes and sizes, and most of them still had a dedication to their noble cause. So, Kagura had met up with them and said her greetings. When starting out, she had been worried that most of these alien beings wouldn't understand her speech, but her superiors had quickly explained that Celestials could speak a common language, seemingly understood by all life. Furthermore, they could freely use telepathy to talk in the soundless void of space, with many more powerful beings passively projecting their voices into all nearby living things as if speaking normally - it was also used to send and store information between Celestials, almost like a universal database. She was actually grateful space didn't have a medium for sound to travel through considering that at this scale, her voice alone could obliterate a planet if she wasn't careful.

She hadn't exactly been expecting a warm greeting, so she hadn't been surprised at their apathetic response. But she didn't expect them to immediately point at a planet orbiting the nearest star and ask her to destroy it.

Now, Kagura was more than a little stunned by the decision. "...Why?"

The shady Celestial's mouth creaked open a little wider as they spoke in a raspy voice. "I have orders from my superior. This world has reached a critical state of turmoil and unrest, its denizens tearing themselves apart. But more importantly, they have been using their dominance over space to attack all the nearby planets and civilizations. They have declared war on just about every world in this solar system, and some outside of it. Their actions have resulted in millions, even billions of deaths across the solar system and beyond. In short, they are causing catastrophic harm to the neighboring civilizations."

"Is it at a level that really warrants the destruction of their world?"

They just nodded. "I have my directions. This planet has been deemed too dangerous to be left active. The price of leaving them is far greater than any benefit that could be gained from it. In fact, according to reports, they are planning on attacking the nearest black hole based mortal civilization and using the black hole that powers it as a supernova-class bomb. That could not only harm the worlds of the system, but possibly annihilate everything within a radius of many light years. The solution presented to me is to eliminate them, so that their world can be recreated from scratch."

Kagura was concerned. "But why do I have to do it? You're right in front of me."

"Well, you are the new recruit, are you not?" the lanky Celestial asked - new was a manner of speaking, but compared to their own lifespan, Kagura had been ascended for barely an instant. "Despite leading your own team, I heard you still cling to your frail mortal values. You must get used to what Celestials must do when passing judgement on the wickedness of mortal civilizations, for that is part of our purpose."

"I…" Kagura mumbled in shock, staring at the little planet floating in front of her. It still felt so wrong. Raising her hand and cupping it in her palm, she winced at how small it was floating in front of her. How many lives had she just been ordered to extinguish?

"Just do it quickly. It is not hard. If you are having trouble at first, just imagine it like some insignificant, inanimate object. It is beneath you. It is inconsequential in the grand scheme of the universe. It is easy for you to destroy."

Kagura gulped. Yeah, it was easy, but that was the problem - it was still  _ far too  _ easy. This was a whole world with billions of lives on it. She shouldn't be able to snuff it out with a mere closing of her fist. It still drove fear into her battle-hardened heart...she was a deity now, but did she really have a right to do this? She was still invisible...how many people would be going about their days, only for their entire world to be annihilated without so much as a warning? Even if they were killers and invaders in this solar system, surely some of them were still innocent!

"They've detected you." the Celestial growled as tiny sparks started bursting around her fingertips. "Look. They're retaliating. They think they can hurt you. They want to kill you."

The warlike planet had indeed detected her, and they were indeed launching everything they had at the massive unidentified object. But even though they were casually throwing out nuclear warheads and the like as if they were mere toys instead of horrific weapons, they still couldn't hope to sink their teeth into a Celestial - nuclear blasts were big, but space was far bigger. The explosions, each of which could have leveled a city, were barely visible to Kagura unless she focused hard enough.

Kagura winced as they started pulling out their more powerful weapons - city-sized, spacefaring capital supercarriers, armed with weapons designed to raze entire planets. These weapons were actually able to burn away parts of her fingers, causing her jolts of pain. Beside her, the shadowy Celestial growled impatiently. "You are trying my patience. I will have to report your incompetence to my superiors if this keeps up. Just destroy it!"

The smaller Celestial tried to steady her breathing.  _ If it really is for the good of this solar system...if many other worlds are suffering because of these people...then... _

In a swift motion, she raised her hand above her head and clenched it, a miniature stellar core the size of a baseball forming in front of her. Closing her eyes, she made a swiping motion, sending the fireball straight towards her target.

When she opened her eyes, there was nothing left. Nothing but the echoes of a destroyed world, the abruptly silenced screams of several billion terrified souls. All of it snuffed out in an instant, with the same effort one would use when plucking a weed.

Kagura put her hands over her mouth and tried not to throw up.  _ Oh, god. I...just destroyed an inhabited planet. I just killed...so many people... _

"...So you had it in you." her cohort mused. "I apologize for raising my voice, but you must get used to the fact that you are truly above all lesser life now. These mortal worlds are under your authority, and you have a right and responsibility to act for the greater good of the universe. I can assure you, it will get easier over time. Soon, you will be able to perform your duties without fail, if the need ever arises again."

The younger Celestial couldn't hold back any longer. She didn't sob, or scream...she just silently and mournfully shed a few tears for the loss of life, her tears like faintly glowing crystals drifting through space. Yet even those tears would eventually dissolve and return to her as energy, leaving no trace behind.

"You are still so soft. That is not acceptable. Make efforts to rid yourself of your mortal weaknesses, if you wish to become a powerful Celestial."

And with that, the other Celestial vanished, leaving Kagura alone with her own grief and the weight of countless lives on her heart.

_ This is part of my duty as a Celestial...sometimes, some things need to be eliminated for the good of the universe...even worlds. _

_...I thought I had matured. I thought I was getting used to my new role in the universe. _

_ Why does it still hurt so much? _

_ Kagami...forgive me… _

_ Roughly one Earth month later… _

Kagura knelt before the King and Queen. "I have arrived, as per your requests. What do you need of me?"

The King motioned for her to stand. "Kagura, you have done an exceptional job considering how little time you've been a Celestial for. So, we've decided to assign you to a very different kind of task. We hope you're up to it."

Moving aside, the Queen motioned to two small figures. "We have two newly-ascended Celestials before you right now, and we've decided to induct them into your team. As the team's leader, we thought you suitable to be teaching these two, given the...unusual circumstances behind their ascension."

"...Are those children?"

Kagura couldn't believe her eyes, but there were indeed  _ Celestial children  _ standing in front of her. And not children as in young people - children as in actual human-like kids, a little boy and a little girl. They were quite a bit shorter than her - maybe a little under half a million kilometers tall, with the girl being slightly shorter - and both were dressed in extraordinarily simple, bleached-white attires. The boy wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts alongside black combat boots, while the girl wore a simple sleeved dress and identical boots.

Kagura somehow instantly knew they were siblings. Both of them shared the same facial structure and pale skin, along with them both having white hair and light bluish-purple eyes. Their bangs even slightly covered opposite eyes - right for the girl, left for the boy. However, something seemed off about them. Their skin had a sort of unnatural porcelain-like quality to it, and their eyes seemed simultaneously bright yet completely devoid of emotion.

"What is this?" Kagura asked, almost incredulously. "How did such young children become Celestials? Who approved of this? Wait, don't tell me they're actually a thousand years old or something ridiculous..."

"Unfortunately, they are indeed very young children - people this young rarely ascend, but this was one of the exceptions." the King admitted, with the slightest hint of sadness. "The circumstances of their ascension were very unusual. From the report their patron gave me, these two were supposed to be biologically engineered weapons, born and raised on a planet ravaged by war for the purpose of fighting. They were raised in a lab and relentlessly experimented on, in addition to being augmented with countless mechanical weapons systems. I estimate that they're anywhere from 50-60% mechanical at this point."

Kagura wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words. She had also been a child soldier, so seeing two more left a sour taste in her mouth, but these two already seemed like they had been through a lot more than she had.

The Queen cleared her throat. "They were subjected to horrid warfare and ruthlessly raised from birth for the specific purpose of killing. And kill they did...they became the most lethal and ruthless weapons of their faction despite being of such a young age, seamlessly weaving technology and their version of magic to lethal effect. But internal strife between the leaders of the faction over the morality of their human super-soldier experiments caused so much turmoil that the faction ended up losing - upon which one of our cohorts seized them for ascension because of their unusually powerful nature."

"It's unfortunate, but we're now left with two very promising candidates and must make the best of the scenario." the King continued. "However, their traumatic upbringing - if you can even call it an upbringing - has left them very mentally underdeveloped. They're in need of training, and we believe as the squad leader, you're the best one for the job. Also...er, we noticed your performance was being slightly inhibited by what your cohorts described as loneliness. After looking into human thought processes, we thought that perhaps tutoring two human-like children would help you with this."

"...I didn't expect you to even consider my problems like this."

"The duties of the Celestials and the protection of the universe are our absolute priority. That doesn't mean we're completely heartless to our cohorts' grievances."

But Kagura was still trying to figure out what to best do here. The fact that these kids had even ascended in the first place kind of appalled her, but just from looking at them, they had clearly suffered a great deal of mental debilitation. They looked as dead as a living creature could look. Whatever horrible treatment they had undergone on their homeworld had seemingly been intended to transform flesh and spirit into metal and calculations - and unfortunately, it seemed to have mostly succeeded.

If this was her task, however, then she would have to try to fulfil it nonetheless. Floating over to the two children, Kagura knelt down a little and extended her hand. "Hello, you two. As you heard, I will be your mentor and squad leader from this point on. I hope we can get along."

In response, the boy reached out and stiffly shook her hand. "Celestial Five. Celestials, designated Fifteen and Sixteen, are now in your service. Pleasure to meet you."

_ He behaves like a robot… _ Kagura noted sadly. Furthermore, it was painfully obvious that his hand was metal - metal with a synthetic skin overtop, but metal nonetheless.

"Celestial Sixteen, sister of Celestial Fifteen. Pleased to meet you." the girl said equally flatly. "Direct us as you see fit. Any orders you have, we will fulfil without fail. Any enemies, eliminate without fail. We are your weapons now."

_ This is going to be harder than I thought. _

"What are your names?" Kagura asked. "Your real names. My real name is Kagura, and you can call me that instead of Five."

The Celestial children blinked in surprise. They clearly hadn't been expecting such a casual question nor request. "...Unknown. We have none."

"Really? Even the others had names of some sort. Hm...I'll give you two fanciful names later, then." Kagura mused. "Well, anyways, come with me. I will teach you now - and not just about how to fulfil duties, or how to fight. I want to teach you how to live."

Kagura had started by asking to have a list of their past details, as well as the full extent of what they had been put through. She figured out which parts of their augmented bodies were both non-essential for their lives and particularly inhumane, before asking the King and Queen to put the new recruits into a slumber as she surgically removed a few of them.

"What did you remove?" Sixteen had asked incredulously. "They put this machinery in us. They told us that they would help us fight better."

Kagura held two small devices she had carefully extracted from their brains - a task that she would have never been able to do without her godlike powers and the help of the two overseers. The Celestial that had chosen for their ascension had provided a comprehensive list of the child soldiers' augmentations, and the degree of the augmentation disturbed Kagura despite her sense of fear being tempered by battle - furthermore, there were two particularly problematic apparatuses implanted in their brains that concerned her. They were responsible for modulating what was left of their endocrine systems, using jolts of hormonal chemicals to simulate a constant adrenaline rush while in combat, a state of reserved apathy off-duty when off-duty, obedience when taking orders, and feelings of completion whenever they successfully destroyed a target or killed an enemy, among other things. The second Kagura had learned about them, she had winced and, after the King and Queen agreed that they weren't needed, decided to remove them immediately.

The Celestial leader crushed the devices in her palm and scattered the dust into space. "You won't be needing these anymore. Celestials function differently from mortals, after all. As your leader, I want my new recruits to be thinking entities with individual lives, not mindless robots with artificial emotions."

Fifteen frowned slightly. "We follow your directions. What will you teach us first?"

"...What do you  _ want  _ to learn first?"

This took them off guard. "What...do you mean by that?"

"I'm giving you a choice, of course. I am quite capable, so anything you ask of me, I can try to teach you. Of course, I have my own plans for later, but you can start with your choice."

The siblings looked at each other quizzically. Even without their brain-altering equipment, they were so used to quietly taking orders and fighting in silence that they weren't exactly sure what 'I want' meant. "What does it mean...to make a choice?"

"You've taken orders all your life." Kagura replied, almost sadly. "If you want to think of it that way, making a choice is like giving yourself an order. You follow what you tell yourself to do. And you tell yourself what your heart or your mind wants."

"...Heart?"

Kagura nodded, placing a hand on her chest. "Heart. Scientifically, it's the centerpiece of the circulatory system. Emotionally...well, where I'm from, it's considered the core of what you feel. If you ever feel anything deep inside yourself, like it's concentrated in a little bundle in your chest...well, that's an emotion from your heart."

Fifteen put a hand on his chest, while Sixteen did the same and frowned. "We have no hearts - they were replaced a long time ago. If I try to feel something inside, it feels...empty."

"Would you like that emptiness to be filled?"

Fifteen looked at her blankly. "What does this have to do with our combat efficiency? Our purpose is to serve you."

"It doesn't. But to me, it's equally important." Kagura assured her. "From this point onwards, combat isn't all there is to your lives. Even the others in my group don't only care about fighting. Now, I want you to try making a choice. Don't think...feel. What do you want to do now?"

"...I...want to see...how powerful these new forms are..."

"...You're not making this easy for me. But you made your choice, and I'll listen to you. How about we spar? Just a friendly bout."

"Listen...to us?"

"That's right. I'm listening to you. Not everything is an order...and while you'll still have to take some orders, I won't boss you around. I understand it might be hard for you to imagine, but...you are free."

Rehabilitating the children was an arduous task for Kagura. Even after her superiors had given her temporary leave from her duties, she still insisted on balancing leading her party and teaching the recruits - such was the sense of duty that had been instilled into her. Her group had warned her not to get overly attached to them, aware of how much of a stake Kagura's humanity still had in her being, but while Kagura was sometimes quite aloof to them as per their requests, she still believed that she needed to raise them with a certain degree of warmth.

The first bit was the hardest one. On their homeworld, these kids had no life to call their own - their purpose of existing was to take orders, kill enemies, and then rest when not fighting. It was a dismal existence that would take a lot of effort for Kagura to undo - for all her powers, the hearts of others were something even godlike powers could not easily change.

Since they seemed to want to continue fighting, Kagura had first gauged their combat prowess both by sparring with them, and having them battle weaker cosmic monsters. True enough, their powers were exceptional for fledgling Celestials, but their inability to make decisions for themselves was hampering them. All the more reason to teach them that there was more value to life than taking orders.

Kagura had first given them a degree of autonomy and taken them on casual outings during her universe-monitoring patrols. As a Celestial, there wasn't a lot one could do for recreation, so her options were rather limited. Yet even as she just showed them the wonders of the universe and created constellations, they would curiously question the meaning behind her gestures and actions. It wasn't long before they started humoring her requests, although they were still having trouble understanding their own emotions. After all, it wasn't like they had never had any emotions to begin with.

Roughly half an Earth year later, she had taken them out to a nebula and told them to look out at the stars. "What do you see?"

Fifteen blinked. "Stars. Many stars. All of them look relatively young."

"Look beyond what they are, and look at what they could be." Kagura insisted. "Mortals often derive great meaning from these stars, even if they as objects may not mean as much to them. Do you see any deeper things in this scenery?"

"...It's like a cloud of stars." Fifteen murmured. "Little lights. They form shapes, patterns. Trace between them, and you may create new shapes."

Kagura was surprised he caught on so quickly. "Good! Sixteen, you try."

Sixteen stared out into the infinite cosmos. "Deeper meaning...I don't know. Looking at this, what do I feel?"

"I can't answer that for you."

The girl squinted. "I don't see a meaning, but they make me feel...relaxed. We never saw things like this on our world. We didn't go outside a lot, and the sky of battle is always covered in smoke."

Kagura smiled. "Relaxed? That means you like it. It makes you happy, right?"

Sixteen frowned. "I...guess so? You taught us what 'happy' meant."

"They aren't special, though." Fifteen mumbled. "There are infinite stars in the universe. What makes these special?"

Another faint smile from their mentor. "Nothing. They're not special. But things don't have to be special for you to appreciate them. You can appreciate anything you want - and if you want, you can think of anything as special."

"So...you want us to find more of these things?" Sixteen asked. "You took us to see many mortal worlds...they have many more things to look at than space."

"That's very true." Kagura sighed. "It's ironic that mortals spend all their time looking up into the stars - wishing they could travel to the cosmos, see its vistas, and unlock its wonders. Yet here we are, with outer space laid bare for us and the power to explore it to our wishes, and we find ourselves longing for worldly sights again. To desire what one does not have, and to only truly realize what you had after it has been lost...perhaps that's a human thing, or maybe it's a constant of life."

"Is that...a part of us too?"

A nod from Kagura. "Maybe you aren't my species of human, but you're still people. The people who turned you into war machines committed a crime against life by stripping you of that distinction. Oh, but there are a few nearby worlds. While I check on them, we can follow your suggestion and look there for more meaningful things."

Noticing a star system nearby, she beckoned her charges to her and gestured for them to maintain their field of invisibility. Floating before them was another civilized world, much larger than Kagura's Earth. The three of them used their powers to enhance their vision to the point where they could clearly see all the happenings of the world, as Kagura started pointing out notable happenings. The recruits weren't as skilled, but Kagura had been trained in a form of world observation that let her simultaneously take in information from all parts of the planet by looking at it. It was an essential skill when it came to evaluating the status of a world in a timely manner.

"Look, you two." Kagura laughed. "We were lucky. A new country has just been born. Look over there, you'll be able to see everyone celebrating."

Fifteen frowned. "...It's a mortal civilization. If we are supposed to look over the universe...what does a single civilization mean? Do the mortals...matter in the grand scheme of things?"

Kagura shook her head. "Meaning is relative. To them, this means a lot - the creation of a new country isn't usual for mortals. By declaring a country, they're brought something into existence, something that will give themselves further meaning. In a way, this is their way of finding meaning in their lives, as well as uniting the lives of their countless brethren under a single name."

"But still...you keep taking us to see these. Why?" Sixteen asked. "You said these events were far beneath us...eventually, all things will decay. And if we're truly immortal like you say, then they'll decay in an instant on our scale."

The Celestial leader smiled as she watched the crowds cheer and celebrate like it was the best day in the world. "What I want you to understand is that if one is to appreciate the beauties of living in this universe as a Celestial, they must be willing to look past what things mean to them, and imagine what things must mean to others. If you think from an objective standpoint, the universe is infinite - in a way, almost nothing matters in the biggest scheme of things. And as Celestials, who are above so many parts of the universe in power...well, a lot of things shouldn't have meaning to us if you think that way."

As the two recruits thought about that, Kagura pointed to another part of the world. "And look there. Those two countries looked like they were at war with each other, but now they've ceased fire. The leaders are signing a peace treaty, and their war is over."

"Miss Kagura...then what does that mean to you?" Fifteen asked quietly. "You're far better at finding so-called meaning in things than we are."

"It's the creation of new lives." Kagura said firmly. "From the moment peace is established, every one of those poor people whose lives were consumed by strife is safe for the time being - free to start new lives, or resume old ones. The end of a war is the end of destruction, a lament for those lost to conflict, a symbol that even if it doesn't last, people don't have to destroy each other anymore. You'll learn to find just as much meaning in things soon...since even on a universal scale, the process of  _ creation _ is omnipresent, yet sublimely remarkable."

Sixteen hung her head. "I suppose you're right. But you told us that those who created things needed to be protected, and those who destroyed things needed to be stopped. All our lives...we've never created anything. All we did was destroy, burn, kill. We took from the world, and never gave anything back. And no matter how much we fought, it was never enough. We were made to consume the world, consume ourselves...until nothing remained."

"You keep telling us about how all of these mortals lead such meaningful lives." Fifteen lamented. "But our mortal lives weren't like this. We were only allowed to fight and destroy. If we had known...even such insignificant things could have meaning...then could we have become better?"

They looked like they wanted to cry, so Kagura gently placed a hand on each of their heads. When she had tried this before, they had first been confused, then angry. But now, they quietly accepted it.

"It's okay to be sad. It's proof that you're starting to feel." Kagura soothed. "Those hearts of yours are starting to beat again. I knew you had it in you - those people from your homeworld thought they could take away your hearts, but I know better. As long as you don't only care about duty or fighting...you can hear the voice of your heart. I know from experience...or at least I think I do. I can't remember too clearly..."

"To feel…" Sixteen sighed. "You made it sound so good as you were teaching us. I...want to learn how to feel. I want to become like you, who sees meaning in things."

"I want to be greater than someone who takes without giving." Fifteen continued. "You've shown us how mortals give themselves meaning, and you've shown us that being Celestials isn't all taking orders like before...you've been firm and powerful, yet so warm. Can you...help us become like you?"

"And now you have goals, dreams, things you want and things you like." Kagura laughed. "We still have our duties - I'll have to command you at some point, and you'll have to fight under my command. But even so...I'm determined to make sure that you aren't just soldiers. You're  _ my  _ soldiers - and my soldiers know how to think and feel."

  
  


_ About one Earth-year after meeting the recruits. Kagura: age 25 in Earth years. _

"Look," Fifteen whispered, pointing at a continent on the little planet floating in front of them. "What are they doing?"

His sister squinted at the spot, focusing her vision yet using the borderline-omniscient peripheral sight her mentor had taught her how to use. "I don't know. But they're so happy. Look at how much they're enjoying themselves."

"Heh. They're really cute."

As she finished telepathically reporting the status of that solar system back to her superiors, Kagura couldn't help but smile. In the past year, those two had come far from the shell-shocked, emotionless killing machines they had started out as. Between training sessions where she mentored the two on their combat skills, she tried all manner of rehabilitation methods - and as she had predicted, they had worked. The children had only gotten their emotions and hearts suppressed, not removed - and once she gave them a chance to recover them, they did just that. They'd likely never fully let go of their traumatic pasts, but their current state was a far cry from the empty metal shells they would have grown into if Kagura  _ hadn't  _ done this. On top of that, their recovery had caused them to actually become  _ better  _ at fighting and taking responsibilities. She had already introduced them to the rest of her party and fought a few trial battles with the whole team, but she still wanted to give them a little bit more solitary practice.

The two Celestials remained quiet and dutiful, but they now did it because they  _ felt like it,  _ not because they didn't know anything else. On top of that, they now showed capacity for emotion and decision making, which led Kagura to entrust them with increasingly serious tasks. They had learned to monitor worlds and report their statuses back to her, and had gained a surprising amount of love for the life of the universe. In fact, after Kagura had tried to explain what the word 'cute' meant, they seemed to have gotten it into their heads that everything small was instantly cute - as Celestials, that meant basically all mortals. She wouldn't question it too much, but their newfound adoration of life was obvious - they were almost ecstatic at the prospect of eventually growing strong enough to start revitalizing, creating, and monitoring worlds of their own.

"Alright, you two." Kagura called. "I see you're enjoying yourselves, but our patrol in this area is done. We've got more work to do, and I want you to get some more practice."

"Okay, miss Kagura." Sixteen replied as the two of them reported back to her. "You should have already gotten our reports from telepathy."

Kagura noted the small smiles on their face - they looked so different from when she had met them. After observing various civilizations for long enough, they had learned enough to create new attires to match their new identities. Their new outfits now resembled things that higher-class children back in Lucia would have worn, which suited them strangely well. Fifteen wore a white shirt and black boots alongside dark purple pants and suspenders, while Sixteen wore a white, purple-accented dress along with black leggings and white boots. They actually looked like regular children now, yet Kagura knew that they were still extremely powerful cyborg fighters in their own rights.

"Good job." Kagura said simply. "We're not done just yet. Let's get moving."

Using their powers, the three Celestials warped to the next star system. However, the moment they arrived, the two recruits gasped as Kagura furrowed her brow. "What...happened here?"

According to the Queen's description, the civilizations that orbited this supermassive star were primarily human-like, and had been advanced enough to put countless modular cities and even artificial planets into orbit around their star. However, when they arrived, there was metallic dust everywhere - except that the dust, upon closer observation, was actually the debris and rubble from countless artificial civilizations.  _ Something  _ had done a number on the entire star system, and the trail of wreckage meant that it was probably on the move.

"Er, miss Kagura?" Fifteen asked, pointing in the distance. "That might be why."

Kagura squinted into the distance, only to see a harrowing sight. A swarm of giant alien creatures were soaring through space as a pack, and seemingly attacking miniscule objects in their path - either the space civilizations, their defenders, or both. Most of them were rather small by Celestial standards, but there were two particularly massive ones that seemed to be the ringleaders.

As Kagura and her proteges moved in and prepared for battle, the two larger creatures' shapes became clear. The first one was a gigantic serpent at least a couple million kilometers long, its girthy body made of slimy greyish-blue flesh and peppered with translucent teal pustules. Gnarled black spines jutted out of its body, and a pair of giant chitinous mandibles framed a gaping eyeless maw filled with yellowed teeth. The other one was a smaller, spider-shaped abomination, a twisted mass of deformed and gnarled grey flesh a bit under two million kilometers tall. Eight spined limbs made of chitinous red crystal jutted out of its body, and reddish smog leaked out of its back half like some kind of plague. What initially appeared to be countless holes in its twisted flesh were actually a network of independently moving crimson eyes and toothed maws, all framing eight larger eyeballs and a single gigantic mouth that took up almost a third of its body. Their followers were roughly the same size or smaller than Kagura, and all bore similarities to these two main monsters, signifying their status as some kind of spawn or progeny of those two abominations.

Immediately, Kagura could tell that these weren't Void Entities. They lacked the power signature of the ones born from the chasms of nothingness, nor that of those who could erase reality at a whim. They were probably just some eldritch beasts that had decided to form an alliance of mutual benefit, as many creatures did. However, they were now eating and destroying everything in the star system - and by threatening the integrity of civilization, they were now designated as enemies of life and the Celestials.

"You two, prepare to engage." Kagura muttered quietly, activating her blade. "It's a relatively small group, so backup shouldn't be needed. The smaller ones shouldn't be too big of a problem. I want you to eliminate that giant worm together as a pair. I'll take out that red creature and get back to you if you need help."

"Understood." the two of them replied in unison.

The Celestial commander extended her senses to check for all life in the region - and to her surprise, she detected two miniscule life signatures different from the rest. Checking around, she confirmed that there were indeed two live mortals somehow drifting through space - an escape pod, perhaps? They were seemingly the only survivors in the immediate area, and had drifted quite some ways away from the space monsters, but they wouldn't stand a chance if the fighting shifted any closer to them.

"I've designated an area for you." Kagura declared, sending her thoughts to the two of them via telepathy. "There are mortal survivors there, but we can't worry about them just yet. Keep all fighting far away from that region, and we'll rescue them once all threats are destroyed."

"Got it!" came the instant response.

"That's all I have to say for now. Let's see how much stronger you've grown - exterminate them all! Do not let a single one escape!"

"Mama, they're coming!" the little silver-haired girl cried, staring out the window of their escape pod in horror at the rampaging eldritch beings. "Why did this happen? A-Are we...going to be okay? I'm...so scared..."

Clutching her daughter as tightly as she could, an older woman that looked almost exactly like an older version of her child tried to hold back her tears. "I don't know...but I promise you, your mom will protect you! Even if it's for nothing...even if we both die...I promise to protect you until the end of this life!"

Everything had happened so fast. It seemed like only minutes ago that she had been living a happy life. She was a renowned lawyer, her kind husband was one of the nation's greatest researchers, and their cute daughter was everything they could ask for. But all of a sudden, her husband had barged into the house, screaming about impending doom and incomprehensible horrors, and it had all gone downhill from there.

Apparently his astrophysics lab had detected...something heading their way at breakneck speeds. They hadn't been sure what it was, but it quickly became apparent that it was more than one thing - and not only were they  _ alive,  _ the trail of destroyed megastructures and shorted communication lines indicated malevolence _.  _ Beings of that size were unheard of within their civilization, and it had quickly dawned on them that there was nothing they could do to stop them. Their 'world' wasn't even a planet, merely one of their many modular cities in orbit - it stood no chance.

The others had been pressed to keep it a secret to prevent pandemonium from breaking out, but her husband had wanted to save at least the lives most dear to him. He had taken them to a secret escape craft within the labs, ordering them to launch themselves out into space on a trajectory to the nearest planet. He sought to stay behind and find something, anything that could stave off their impending doom, promising his family that he would come back for them once it was over.

The worst came true - he never returned, and neither did anyone else from the supercity. Worse still, their ship had been struck by shrapnel from one of the destroyed worlds, destroying its engines and leaving them dead in the void until they crashed on a broken chunk of a modular city. Now, with a limited supply of sustenance, a ship that was on the verge of falling apart, and eldritch monsters tearing apart the solar system, she and her daughter were on the verge of giving up hope.

However, just as she was about to start openly crying, her daughter gasped and pointed at the window again. "Mama...there's something there! There are...what are those?"

The woman looked out the window, only for her jaw to drop. Out of nowhere, three astronomically massive figures had appeared - despite being an unfathomable distance away, they were so utterly gargantuan that her brain felt like it was melting just from trying to comprehend them. However, as the light from the sun bathed them and reflected into her eyes, she was able to trace vaguely humanoid shapes and attires. If she guessed, she could almost see them...talking?

"So huge..." the little girl whispered fearfully. "What are they doing? Are they here to...help us? Can they even notice us?"

Although her mother tried to pull her away from the window, her daughter stood up on the driver's chair and screamed out as if to somehow reach the star-sized beings through the void of space. "Please! Help us!"

As the three beings seemed to reach an understanding, the two smaller ones shot off faster than she could see - the trail of light they left behind pointing towards the supermassive alien beasts. The leading one turned towards them, allowing the two survivors to vaguely make out the face of a silver-haired, gold-eyed young woman with faintly glimmering skin. For a moment, her gaze met with theirs, and the survivors' hearts stopped as they froze beneath the stare of the incomprehensibly massive entity. Was she there to save them, destroy them, or something else? Or did she simply not care for such insignificant life?

Then the being smiled, winked at them and made an "okay" symbol with her hand, before shooting off to meet the aliens in combat alongside her cohorts.

The mortal woman almost melted from relief and anxiety while her little daughter let out a desperate laugh. "Haha...we might be saved! Maybe, just maybe...the gods have decided to have mercy on us, and sent those saviors to avenge our world!"

"Maybe…" her mother sighed shakily. "Stay safe for now. We've been blessed by divine intervention...now we need to do everything to not die until they can help us."

"Get them!" the little girl yelled through her tears, cheering on a battle that she knew was far beyond any of them. "For papa, and all the others! Please finish this!"

Kagura literally struck with the force of an exploding star, getting the drop on the giant red arachnid-like monster and shoving an explosive protostar into its face. As it wailed and struck back with its claws, Kagura parried its strikes with her cosmic blade and blasted it with another ray of stellar brilliance that took out a few of its eyes. Noticing its throat glowing pink, she leapt back as blood-red flames erupted from its maw, scorching the several million cubic kilometers directly in front of it.

Taking on a preparatory stance, she stared down the abomination as it hissed, the damage to its eyes regenerating almost instantly. With another horrific scream, crimson lightning arced from its spines and formed an array of glowing red sickle-like blades around it, which it promptly hurled at its offender. She swatted them down with lightning-quick sword strokes, only for the creature to ignite the outflow from its back and shoot itself like a clawed missile. It managed to partially shred Kagura's energy barrier with a single clawed strike, and Kagura had to get it off of her by tearing a huge gash of its body with her blade.

_ That thing isn't very hard to hurt, but it heals really fast and has a lot of different ways to kill me. If I kill it, it's going to have to be in a single decisive barrage. _

Meanwhile, Fifteen and Sixteen had struck the serpent with a ferocious pincer attack. As people who were designed to fight, and further trained by a proficient Celestial warrior, their young age had no bearing on their fighting abilities - in fact, their smaller bodies made them exceptionally agile. On their homeworld, they had been very magically gifted in addition to being augmented with countless combat systems and weapons, so becoming Celestials had only drastically increased their power.

Fifteen's palm split open to reveal a glowing blue channel that released condensed blasts of bright violet-blue light, each one exploding on the worm's skin with blinding brightness. With his other hand, he projected pulses of force to block the eldritch energy blasts that the worm was spitting from its maw- he was noticeably struggling to block all of them, but that was what dodging was for. Meanwhile, Sixteen created twin curved blades of light around each hand as she zipped around the colossal worm faster than it could react, the energized swords searing through its tough flesh like it was rubber. Every time the worm snapped at her, she'd nimbly duck out of the way and counterattack with a merciless barrage of blade strokes.

The worm, however, had not been sitting idly. Despite its gigantic size and apparently cumbersome body, it was capable of terrifyingly fast movement. In addition to it constantly spitting gouts of weirdly fluid black flames, Fifteen and Sixteen could feel their mechanical hearts jump whenever its jaws snapped shut - this thing was freakishly strong in addition to being highly durable. They hadn't taken a direct hit yet, and they weren't sure if they could even afford to.

Rearing back, the worm let out a deep roar as it belched out a stream of greenish flame, instantly reducing all the surrounding rubble to sparking ash as the Celestials leapt away from the blast. While they were dodging, the beast coiled up and launched itself at Sixteen, who barely avoided its snapping jaws before slicing off a few of its teeth as payback. Hissing, it snapped at her again before extending the black spines lining its body to skewer her, only for her to parry the attacks with her blades and dig them into its flesh again, using propulsion systems within her body to give her the momentum to carve out a massive gash.

However, while providing supporting fire, Fifteen found himself surrounded by lesser monsters that had moved in to support their pack leader. But he didn't need to alert his sister to this - one of the systems built into them made them share a perfect telepathic link at all times.

Raising his hands, he formed a blade around his right hand while keeping his left in its blaster configuration. Slimy wide-mouthed wraiths and crimson-spiked bugs leapt at him with teeth and claws bared, but Fifteen was far too nimble for wild beasts to hit. Every burst of condensed energy blasted burning holes into the creatures, while his blade sliced through their fleshy bodies without an issue. They were too big and strong for him to instantly kill, but the fact remained that while they couldn't hit him, he could  _ very much  _ hit them.

Sixteen continued to hack and slash like a living blender, turning the worm's skin into abstract art while slicing up the lesser monsters almost faster than they could act. However, she recoiled in disgust as the teal pustules she slashed shuddered and then ruptured, letting loose a fresh wave of slithering slimy beasts. Dozens of these things swamped her, and while she managed to cut them all down, she neglected the worm for long enough that it was able to blast her head-on with a gout of dark flame. Taking that single hit shredded all of her energy shields instantly and disintegrated parts of her synthetic skin, but didn't kill her.

Fifteen saw his sister taking a hit, but he knew that she would be fine. Blowing apart the last of the flunkies, he turned back to the worm and unleashed a fusillade of violet spears that distracted it right as it was about to lunge at Sixteen. Roaring, the worm shot at him in an attempt to swallow him whole, only for the wounded Sixteen to swoop in and slice open its jaw with her blades. Now unable to close its jaw, the worm chose to bank to the left and regenerate its wounds instead of trying to futilely bite them - but it wasn't about to stand there idly. The dark spines all over its wounded body glowed, then extended and shot themselves at the two Celestials. Fifteen tried to cut the tough spines and got his left arm skewered for his troubles, but Sixteen was able to avoid them despite her injuries. Not letting the injuries stop them, the two of them dived under its next fire blast and struck in unison, slicing it in half.

The worm screamed and retaliated with a sudden pulse of unearthly power that struck the two Celestials, knocking them away and shredding their shielding. Slithering away and hissing, they could already see it starting to regenerate despite it just having been cut in two. If they were to kill it, they'd have to do it now.

Just as they prepared to attack again, a series of red sickles flew in from above and struck the colossal serpent, a combination of slashing and explosive strikes blowing countless chunks of its flesh into space. As the worm screamed in pain, there was another screech from above as Kagura drove the red-spined abomination she had been fighting straight into the serpent's face, using them as a spined bludgeon. When they turned around to blast Kagura with another stream of bloody flames, Kagura disrupted the attack with her own concentrated blast of force before carving its face to ribbons with a lightning-fast series of sword strokes. In surprise, the worm attempted to fire back with a colossal vortex of violet energy, but the attack struck its cohort instead - blowing off a few of its spines and causing it to wail in agony.

"Miss Kagura!" Sixteen yelled in surprise. While they had been fighting, not only had Kagura exterminated all the lesser beasts around them, but she had also clearly humiliated the other of the two strongest monstrosities in combat. It almost made the two of them feel bad for taking so long to kill this worm.

"Good job, you two!" Kagura yelled back, raising her sword and warping the space around her blade. "Now let's end this."

While they had just dealt severe blows to each other, the two monsters weren't so stupid as to turn on each other from accidental crossfire. However, it was too late for them - for all their regenerative abilities, they had both been wounded so much that they stood no chance against a sudden all-out attack like this one. As Fifteen and Sixteen continued spalling off chunks of their body with high-power laser attacks, Kagura tore into them like a hurricane of cosmic wrath, her blade cleaving through space itself as it sliced through flesh as if it wasn't there. While they wailed and screamed as they continued fighting for their lives, Kagura was relentless - her attacks were much stronger than those of her students, and were so fast that they couldn't retreat and regenerate in time.

Despite its body being in tatters, the arachnid-like beast still managed to roar defiance as its spines glowed and shot crimson lasers in every direction. Kagura took one directly to the arm and suffered severe burn damage for her troubles, but damage like that wouldn't bring pause to a veteran warrior. Striking back with a series of silver comets that punched countless lesions into its body and blew open its many jaws, Kagura jammed her sword into its main maw and, using it as a starting point, cleaved the entire front half of its body open. Then she vaulted over it and repeated the same thing on the other side, before cleanly bisecting the beast in a decisive stroke. As its two halves continued thrashing and expelling scarlet flames in their death throes, Kagura repeatedly slashed at them a few dozen times until they had been reduced to countless scraps of twitching grey flesh,  _ then  _ created a mass of stellar fire that incinerated even that. It may have seemed like overkill to anyone else, but anyone who had fought things like Void Entities for some time would know that the word "overkill" didn't apply to them.

In the meantime, Fifteen and Sixteen capitalized on the opening given to them by their teacher, coming together and striking as one in a perfectly synchronized assault. Flying loops around the worm with their blades extended, they sliced a mesh of deep cuts into its body, before nimbly flying around its retaliatory energy blasts. As each of them channeled even more power to extend their blades and stab them into its head, they charged up and shot along the length of the weakened worm with their blades stuck into it, cleanly slicing it in two lengthwise. Noticing the few dozen massive hearts still pulsating within its body, the two of them took their mentor's lessons to heart and dashed around at lightning speed, slashing every last one of them until the worm finally stopped moving.

And just like that, the battle was over. Against a Celestial as powerful as Kagura  _ and  _ her two proteges, wild monsters stood no chance.

After going over her students' combat performance and discussing what they could improve on next time, Kagura turned her attention to her next task of interest - saving the last survivors of the attack. Returning to the area that she had marked off, she breathed a small sigh of relief as she saw that none of the fighting had reached the region, and that the two mortals were still alive in a ruined chunk of an orbital city. Lowering herself to as close as eye level as she could, she focused her vision on them, revealing them to be a silver-haired woman and an almost identical-looking little girl. "You are safe now. Do not be alarmed."

While the fighting had been going on, the woman and her daughter had simply sat in the corner of the damaged spacecraft and prayed that they'd be spared. Every time they looked out the window to see the cosmic beings and eldritch abominations blasting each other with unfathomable attacks, they had wanted to scream in fright. When they looked out of the window only to stare into a golden iris bigger than a planet, then they  _ actually  _ screamed in fight before they heard a feminine voice reassure them.

"You...can talk to us?" the woman asked fearfully.

"Mhm. I can also see and hear you." Kagura replied, noticing their fear. "We are Celestials - beings who protect the integrity of the universe and its life. Rest assured, the creatures that wiped out your home have all been destroyed. We offer our condolences for your world and your brethren, but at the very least, you two are safe now. Dry your tears, little ones." 

"Celestial…" both of them breathed in unison. It was still hard to imagine they were  _ talking  _ with this astronomical godlike being - it felt more like talking to themselves. "Do you...have a name, or something?"

"Ah, yes. Pardon my lack of manners." Kagura replied, backing up far enough that they could see some semblance of her face. "My name is Kagura, and my two students here...well, they go by Fifteen and Sixteen for now. What are your names?"

"I-I'm Maria," the woman said timidly, "and this is my daughter Mabel."

"Maria. Mabel." Kagura mused. "Such nice names."

"T-Thank you…" Mabel stuttered.

Maria stared back at Kagura. "We owe you our lives...but what are you going to do with us now? Our world...is gone now."

"Deliver you back to a safe world, of course." Kagura said matter-of-factly, as if it were as easy as walking a child to the bus station. With a snap of her fingers, both of the mortals became enveloped in a warm golden light. "I have shielded you from the harshness of space. Please, come out of there, and I will pick you up."

"Come...out?" Maria repeated. "You want us to go out there? And how are you going to...pick us up? That sounds way too unsafe!"

"I understand that you are afraid of me, and your fear is justified." Kagura consoled. "But I swear on my life that I have only good intentions, and the power to back them up. It is my duty to save those in need of help, and I only wish to save you two as well."

Kneeling as much as she could while floating in space, she extended her hand to the two mortals, holding it under the specks of wreckage they were within. "If you want to accept my help, come out here and jump on - I will catch you. If you don't, that's also your choice to make. Maria, Mabel...do you trust me?"

It felt surreal to have such a deific entity kneeling to them and offering a hand, like how someone would help a fallen child to their feet. Kagura's palm, despite being what was probably at least ten-thousand kilometers away, was still so mind-bogglingly huge that they had a hard time comprehending that this was something that could even exist, much less a small part of a  _ living being.  _ However, this "Kagura" seemed like their only real chance at survival at this point, so as intimidating as she was, the two mortals were willing to take the chance.

After convincing her daughter that she would be fine, Maria was the first one to head to the airlock and step into the environment of space - just as Kagura had said, what would normally have been suicide for her was now totally safe, the Celestial's power protecting her from the lack of oxygen and extreme temperatures. Beckoning for Mabel to follow her, the two of them walked over to the edge of the ruined city, looking down at the endless skin-colored expanse beneath them. Gulping, they looked up at the Celestial - and upon seeing their fear, Kagura gave them a small smile of reassurance.

Taking a deep breath - or at least what  _ felt  _ like one, considering there was no air - the two of them jumped. Immediately, they felt an overwhelming yet gentle force grab hold of them, and in what seemed like an instant they felt themselves land on vaguely soft land again. "Gotcha."

Whatever Kagura had done, it had sent them tens of thousands of kilometers in an instant - and now, judging from her face smiling down at them from far, far above, they had landed in the palm of her hand. To the mortals, it felt less like they were atop a living thing and more like they were in an alien new world - pale, soft skin stretched in every direction as far as the eye could see, and five dizzyingly huge pillars surrounded them in the distance. Even the tiny imperfections that would normally be invisible to the naked eye were like huge landmarks, the minute grooves in the Celestial's palm like canyons wide enough to swallow up cities - thank goodness they had landed on top of one of the ridges, and not in one.

Kagura curled her fingers slightly around them, which made them jump again - things that big shouldn't have been able to move at all, much less at such insane speeds. However, they were totally unaffected by the movements that in all seriousness should have killed them instantly. Noticing their surprise, Kagura chuckled. "Like I said, you're safe with me. Under my protection, anything that can't hurt me, can't hurt you."

Mabel just plopped herself down on the ground and gawked as Maria tried not to look  _ too  _ flabbergasted. "T-Thank you, ma'am…"

"Drop the 'ma'am', it's just Kagura. You're starting to sound like these two."

The mortals suddenly realized that there were two vague faces alongside Kagura's far above them - the intrigued faces of a young boy and girl, both with silver hair like theirs but violet-blue eyes. They couldn't help but feel even more intimidated now that there were  _ three  _ of these beings - even if those two were children, at the insane scale that they were at now,  _ anything  _ was an incomprehensible monster to mortals.

"You look...kind of like us." Fifteen mumbled quietly.

"You're both very cute, though." Sixteen added. "I would hug you if I could."

"You two, show a little respect." Kagura sighed. "The mortals are probably already quite frightened by the situation, and there's no need to make it worse. Also, you can't just go around calling everyone cute to their faces." Looking back at the mortals in her palm, she smiled a little bit again. "Sorry. These two are my dear students...they think everything small is adorable."

Maria was still a little too stunned to do anything, but Mabel raised a shaky hand. "M-Miss Kagura...I mean Kagura...so what are you? What's a Celestial? And why are you so huge and powerful?"

"Celestials...are beings that protect the universe." Kagura said simply. "We need to be powerful in order to defend things on a galactic scale, and eliminate the threats that no other being can hope to match. I'll spare you the details since you're having a rough enough time as it is...but just know that it's our duty to make sure mortal life in this universe prospers and flourishes. Of course, this includes eliminating beings who cause more damage to the universe than they bring it good...those monsters included."

"So are...are you a goddess?" Mabel asked timidly.

Kagura paused. "Hmm. I don't consider myself one. Power alone doesn't make one a god or goddess, after all - wouldn't faith be a better measure of divinity for you mortals? Well...you can call me whatever you want. I understand I must be difficult to comprehend for mortals, especially for such a young girl..."

"Ah...I see. I-I just thought since you were so gigantic and powerful and merciful, you'd have to be divinity...a-and you're also really pretty, like a goddess…"

Kagura exhaled violently in surprise - it wasn't often she got compliments that weren't about her combat performance, especially such exaggerated ones. "Eh? You really think that? Um, thanks a lot, I suppose...I'm flattered."

"Miss Kagura  _ is  _ quite beautiful." Fifteen and Sixteen affirmed in unison.

"Stop that, you two." Kagura scolded, unable to withhold a small smile.

"You seem very...well, human." Maria remarked, having plucked up the courage to talk after seeing her innocent daughter so brazenly praise the Celestial. "If you're a godlike defender of the cosmos, it seems like it'd be a really taxing job. Yet you went out of your way to save two people like us, and are even so friendly to us now. Why?"

"It's my duty to protect mortals. That doesn't mean I'm heartless." Kagura assured them, although her voice seemed slightly tinged with indignation. "Many of my colleagues are not as kind as I am, but I have my own values. So do my students."

"Mhm. Miss Kagura's very kind." Fifteen added. "She taught us that all life is valuable. So, now we help her look after civilizations in our spare time. Mortals like you are always so remarkable...and you're also all very adorable."

"Miss Kagura?" Sixteen asked, "Can we please hold them? I want to try gently protecting a person in my hand like you..."

"You two!" Kagura snapped, using her free hand to gently but firmly smack them on their foreheads with her knuckle. "Mortal lives aren't toys! And for you to say such things in front of these two...have you no shame?"

The two of them snapped to attention and bowed - as lax as Kagura was with her teachings, they knew better than to anger her. "We're sorry!"

Kagura sighed, turning back to the slightly scared mortals. "Sorry. These two are still kids, after all. They adore all life, but...well, maybe a little too much."

"Really? W-Well, their hearts are clearly in the right place - I can tell that much." Maria replied with surprising confidence. "You know, you two, if you can hear us, you keep calling us adorable, but you're plenty cute yourselves."

"Us...what? Huh?" Fifteen and Sixteen asked in unison, as if unable to process being called cute by a mortal. That shut them up instantly, as if their computerized brains had decided to just short-circuit.

Kagura laughed, and both Maria and Mabel couldn't help but laugh alongside her.  _ Who knew supermassive cosmic deities could be so...human? _

However, Kagura moved fast - and before they knew it, they had arrived at the civilized planet she had been looking for. Lifting them off her palm with her magic, Kagura started doing the mental math required to send them down without killing them. "I'll put you down somewhere where you'll be found easily. My protection should only wear off once you're safe and sound back on the surface. As for until then...well, it was a pleasure meeting you. Enjoy the view, you two."

Maria bowed deeply to the Celestials. "B-But we can't thank you enough for saving us! We probably can't do anything that would amount to anything for you...but is there any way we can repay your kindness?"

"Live on." Kagura said simply. "Tell the world what happened out there. As the sole survivors of this disaster, you are the only ones who know the truth. Tell them...and then cry, cry as much as you want. You're taking this quite well in this moment, but the scars of such a disaster don't fade easily, even if you didn't actually see it - take whatever measures you need to come to terms with it. But as you shed your tears and express your sadness, I still want you to live fulfilling lives, in honor of all those who were less fortunate than you..."

She paused. "Actually, I do have something to ask of you. My two students here...they don't have names yet, and I would like to give them mortal names like my own. Can you help me name them?"

Fifteen and Sixteen blinked. "Eh?"

"You want me to name two Celestials?" Maria asked in disbelief. "Do I...really deserve such a task?"

"I'm just taking advantage of the scenario." Kagura replied. "So? How about it?"

Maria was a little terrified that she'd be annihilated if she gave a poor response, especially because the two childlike Celestials were staring down at her inquisitively, but she racked her brain nonetheless. "I...had a niece and nephew back at the orbital city. They're definitely gone now, but...well, they always said I was their favorite aunt, and they really endeared themselves to me. So how about you two carry on their names - Ray and Flora?"

Kagura nodded. "Do you like them?"

Fifteen and Sixteen looked at each other, before answering in unison. "We think they're very nice. We'd be honored to take these names."

"It's settled then." Kagura said with finality. "Ray, Flora...I'll probably still use your numbers in combat, just to be fair to all the others whose names I can't say. But to me...from now on, you're Ray, and you're Flora."

The newly christened Celestials beamed happily, and Kagura re-focused on the task at hand. Thanking the two mortals for their help, she lowered them to the surface as fast as she could without giving them  _ too  _ much vertigo. Once they had landed, she dispelled her magic and backed away, proud of having saved at least two lives. Maria and Mabel would almost certainly mention her in their recounts, so even if she  _ was _ invisible to the planet right now, they'd find out about her somehow.

However, right before she left, she snuck another look at the little planet. At the sight of a vaguely medieval kingdom-city and the verdant forests that surrounded them, she gasped in shock as a sudden memory resurfaced from the fog of the years of combat and duty. She remembered bits of a life of cold luxury, interspersed by snippets of warmth. She remembered sitting beneath a tree while a girl rested on her lap, falling asleep together under the stars, hugging her tightly as they cried in each other's arms…

All of a sudden, it was like she was back under one of the many trees back on her homeworld. Turning towards her, the golden-haired girl Kagami gave her a radiant smile, extending a hand to help her up. "Kagura, you fell asleep again? Well, that  _ is  _ a really comfy sleeping spot, I'll admit! C'mon, I'll give you a lift!"

She blinked again, and suddenly the vision was gone.

Kagura put a hand to her forehead and sighed. What were these visions, and why did they make her so happy yet unbearably sad? She wasn't as lonely anymore...the King and Queen had given her human-like proteges for a reason. Then why did she still feel like she was missing something?

_ What did Kagami do to so deeply enshrine herself in my memory? _

Fifteen and Sixteen - no, Ray and Flora - looked concerned, and Kagura gave them what must've been a weak smile to reassure them. She knew these memories were real - whatever she had lost along with her full memories had been valuable enough that her soul instinctively sought it out, even in the form of these fleeting visions. But if it was something from her mortal life...she couldn't get it back. She had a duty to do now, and that transcended everything.

_ No it doesn't! _

Kagura blinked again.  _ Where...had that thought come from? _

Then she shook her head.  _ No. What were you taught? I valued something back then, but duty comes first now - my heart is devoted to protecting the universe. Even if I'm missing something...well, I should be grateful that things are as good as they are now. _

After all, her powers and prowess were incredible, her superiors weren't too harsh, her cohorts were loyal, and now she had two adoring proteges as well. And if anything, she still had those faint yet comforting memories of a life long gone to give her happiness - maybe enough happiness to alleviate the pangs of emptiness.

Things definitely could have been worse.

_ But then...why is my heart...still so full of turmoil? _


End file.
